Creating four heavy 2.40 meter sculptures and installing them at the top of Cerro Colorado to welcome those who enter the Church was not an easy task. In fact, he demanded the use of cranes and trucks and left several anecdotes. But, without a doubt, the most important incident was the one experienced by the artist who created them, who had to break the wall of his house to be able to remove them from the place.
With the works on that entrance portal already completed, other similar ones in development and a third task in the pipeline, the sculptor Adrián Fernández, told details about his work. “We came up with the idea with Felipe Yacopino, a friend born in Buenos Aires who is an architect, because the Church did not have an entry portal. For the entrance through El Colorado, we designed a series of sculptures that They represent workers accompanied by letters with the name of the department. We presented the project to the municipality, they loved the idea and they commissioned us to do the work,” says the artist.
It was 5 months ago that the sculptor began his work. Using ferrocement, an iron mesh and cement to carry out the modeling, the artist created a woman making bread in a clay oven, a sower, a man weeding and another who works the land with an anchoda. “The intention was to capture the culture and tradition of the department and it seemed to us that the best way was to represent the workers,” highlights Adrián who, in addition to those sculptures that measure about 2.40 meters high, created with the same technique the seven letters of “Church”, with a height of 2.40 meters. meters by approximately 1.40 meters wide.
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His work was arduous and, due to the characteristics of the materials and his availability of space, he decided to assemble everything inside his house. He made one sculpture and two letters a month, until he finished. Only when he finished the task did he realize a problem: “They didn’t go through the door,” he says now, laughing. Thinking that he had to hand over his creations, he did not give much thought to the matter, he decided to break the wall around the double door and take them out.
The transfer and installation on the hill, which is 3,548 meters above sea level, were also complex. “On the day of the transfer, we took about 12 people out and put them on a forklift, from there they went to a truck. We had to make two trips. Up on the hill, we work with cranes to be able to place them,” says Adrián about the sculptures that can be seen for a week and a half at the top of the mountain.
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Meanwhile, the friends who met while studying art and began working together making murals and then tackling larger projects, have already gotten to work and They began the creation of a similar portal, but at the entrance to the department through Jáchal. “In this case we are going to refer to tourism through sports. This project is bigger because There are 12 sculptures in total. We already created those that refer to windsurfing and kitesurfing, which are posted. Now we have to work on the rest,” says the artisan.
Embed – Municipalidad de Iglesia on Instagram: “Welcome to Iglesia! Our imposing portal in El Colorado welcomes us with a work of great magnitude, made by the talented artist @adrian.fernandez.79069. This work presents the name of the department in letters corporeal, accompanied by sculptures that represent the Churches in their daily chores origins. From planting, to shepherding and baking, each sculpture reflects the essence of our people. This impressive artistic work is a visual reminder of our local identity and fills us with. pride. Iglesia awaits you to enjoy its culture, art and landscapes, which make our department a unique place.”
At the same time, they have a project for the creation of works that will be located at the roundabout in the town of Las Flores, which leads to the Agua Negra Pass, which connects San Juan with Chile. “The idea is the same, to value the culture and history of the department through art. They are ambitious and complex projects, but it is a pride to be able to carry them out,” highlights the churchman.
