America 1970

Alfredo Halegua made "America," a sculpture out of steel that stands over 20 feet tall. Its rust-colored patina hints at the passage of time, a process of change, of becoming, or maybe even a slow decline. The surfaces are rough, not polished, each mark like a historical record. I find it interesting to think about how artists use materials to express these ideas. Up close, the sculpture’s textures tell their own stories. The rust, the subtle gradations in color, the way the edges are just slightly uneven all suggest a kind of organic growth. The sculpture rises from the ground in a powerful, almost defiant curve. You can see the force and the resistance in that bend. It reminds me a little of Richard Serra’s work, how he uses heavy steel to explore ideas about weight and space. With “America,” Halegua invites us to consider how our own histories and experiences shape our understanding of the world around us. It stands, with all its beautiful ambiguity, resisting any single, easy meaning.