Arbol de La Vida 

This wooden carving, titled "Arbol de La Vida," or "Tree of Life," was created by Francisco Serra Andrés, likely sometime in the late 20th century. Andrés, born in 1924, would have grown up in a time of great cultural shift in Spain. The sculpture depicts a woman emerging from a tree trunk, with a child nestled within the wood. The woman’s form, though clearly European in its features, is incomplete, missing an arm, a detail which might invite reflections on the physical and social vulnerabilities of women in that era. The nakedness of both figures could denote innocence, but also speaks to the historical objectification of the female body in art. "Arbol de La Vida" invites us to reflect on the cyclical nature of life, and the intertwined destinies of women and their children, rooted in the earth and the body, and on the constant themes of identity and heritage.