VESSEL, 2024

In early 2024, artist Edgar Fabián Frías, a descendant of the Wixárika people, was one of 135 contemporary artists selected to have their art preserved for millions of years. Their work was etched on nickel plates using cutting-edge nanotechnology and placed on the moon's surface by the Odysseus Lander spacecraft as part of the Arch Lunar Art Archive.

Inspired by this monumental achievement and the Wixárika origin story - where Takutsi Nakawé, known as Our Great Grandmother Growth, asked Watakame to create a canoe from a fig tree to save life on earth from a great flood - Frías created Vessel (2024). This artwork explores the role of vessels, such as spaceships and canoes, in symbolizing preservation, resilience, ancestral pacts, and intergalactic communication through the lens of Indigenous Futurism.

Humans have a deep desire to preserve culture for future generations.

Vessel invites viewers to reflect on UAPs (unidentified anomalous phenomena) as modern symbols that speak to our collective hope for survival and the power of art and storytelling to transcend time and space.

Situated at the site of the Indigenous village of Yaangna in Gloria Molina Grand Park, this piece honors the diverse communities of Los Angeles, connecting past and present.

Edgar Fabián Frías was commissioned by the LA County Department of Arts and Culture to create a temporary artwork as a member of the Public Artists in Development (PAID) program's Artist Council.

PAiD Artist Council is a program by the Los Angeles County Department of Arts & Culture, funded by the Mellon Foundation, with support from Dyson & Womack, and with generous hosting by Gloria Molina Grand Park and The Music Center. Special thanks to Brianna MacGillivray and Pat Gomez for their leadership in program design and management.

With deep appreciation for Nick Rodrigues, who fabricated VESSEL along with support from Jacky Rabbit Perez & Guglielmo Bozzoli Parasacchi, and VESSEL’s project manager, Emily Womack. And last, but definitely not least, a huge thank you to all the wonderful people involved in making VESSEL possible!

Documentation by Edgar Fabián Frías and Isabel Avila.

Descripción de VESSEL en Español

A principios del 2024, el artista Edgar Fabián Frías, descendiente del pueblo Wixárika, fue uno de los 135 artistas contemporáneos seleccionados para preservar su arte durante millones de años. Sus obras fueron grabadas en placas de níquel utilizando nanotecnología avanzada y se colocaron en la superficie de la luna vía la nave espacial Odysseus Lander como parte del Archivo de Arte Lunar.

Inspirándose en este monumental logro y en la historia del origen Wixárika- en la que Takutsi Nakawé, conocida como Nuestra Bisabuela del Crecimiento, quien debido a una gran inundación, pidió a Watakame que elaborara una canoa con una higuera, para salvar las vidas en la tierra - Frías creó VESSEL (Embarcación, 2024). Esta obra explora la función de las embarcaciones tales como las naves espaciales y las canoas, como símbolo de preservación, resiliencia, pactos ancestrales y comunicación intergaláctica a través del lente del futurismo indígena.

Los seres humanos tenemos un profundo deseo de preservar la cultura para las generaciones futuras. La obra VESSEL invita a los espectadores a reflexionar sobre los FANI (fenómenos anómalos no identificados) como símbolos modernos que hablan de nuestra esperanza colectiva de supervivencia y del poder del arte y la narración de historias para trascender en el tiempo y espacio. Situada en el poblado indígena Yaangna, en el parque Gloria Molina Grand Park, esta obra rinde homenaje a las comunidades diversas de Los Angeles, conectando pasado y presente.

El Departamento de Arte y Cultura del Condado de Los Angeles comisionó a Edgar Fabián Frías para realizar una obra de arte temporal como miembro del Consejo de Artistas del programa Public Artists in Development (PAID).

Photos from Activation Celebration of VESSEL on September 8, 2024

For the opening event, Edgar invited attendees to share their intentions, hopes, and prayers with VESSEL by writing in a journal, speaking aloud or silently, and holding a quartz crystal. This crystal transferred energy to the selenite inside VESSEL, which amplified these energies and sent them out into the universe.

VESSEL was commissioned by the LA County Department of Arts and Culture through its PAiD Program with support in management and delivery by Dyson & Womack. Photos by Isabel Avila. Click on the photos below to see them full size.

Conceptual Prototypes

Made by Edgar Fabián Frías using Dall-E.

Scale Models

Created by Nick Rodrigues.

Installation Documentation

Installation by Nick Rodrigues with support from Guglielmo Bozzoli Parasacchi took place on September 3, 2024, which was a new moon. Documentation by Zevin Delaski.