VESSEL, 2024

In 2024, Edgar Fabián Frías, a Wixárika descendant, was selected to have their artwork preserved on the moon as part of the Arch Lunar Art Archive, transported aboard the Odysseus Lander spacecraft. This profound honor led Edgar to reflect on humanity's deep desire to transcend time and space through art, stories, and culture, inspiring the creation of VESSEL.

VESSEL draws from the Wixárika origin story featuring Takutsi Nakawé, also known as "Our Great Grandmother Growth," who crafted a canoe to save life during a great flood. The sculpture explores vessels as symbols of preservation and resilience, merging Indigenous stories with contemporary themes often projected onto UFOs—representing collective hopes, fears, and survival.

Installed in Gloria Molina Grand Park, on the site of the Indigenous village of Yaangna, VESSEL bridges past and present, honoring Los Angeles' diverse communities. It invites reflection on both Indigenous and modern cosmologies, embodying themes of decay, hope, and storytelling.

VESSEL will be on view from September 4 to September 29, 2024, and the public was invited to a communal activation on September 8, where participants wrote down their intentions and infused a crystal within the sculpture with their hopes and dreams, sending collective intentions into the universe.

VESSEL was made possible through the PAiD Artist Council, 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.

Conceptual Prototypes

Made by Edgar Fabián Frías using Dall-E.

Scale Models

Created by Nick Rodrigues.

Installation

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.