{"id":447489,"date":"2025-09-24T04:22:16","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T04:22:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/447489\/"},"modified":"2025-09-24T04:22:16","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T04:22:16","slug":"raul-de-laras-whimsical-wooden-sculptures-defy-borders-colossal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/447489\/","title":{"rendered":"Raul De Lara’s Whimsical Wooden Sculptures Defy Borders \u2014 Colossal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why can plants be considered native to more than one nation while people can\u2019t? This line of inquiry grounds a large-scale exhibition by Raul De Lara<\/a> in which he presents his surreal sculptures that merge flora and furnishings. <\/p>\n

HOST, on view now at The Contemporary Austin<\/a>, brings together a collection of works that call into question belonging and identity and rejects the idea that state borders are fixed and natural. Using wood endemic to Texas and Mexico, De Lara sculpts potted monsteras sprouting from chains, a schooldesk covered in long spines, and a cactus disguised as a child\u2019s rocking horse. <\/p>\n

The resulting pieces translate what should be a common object\u2014a shovel, for example, or an enormous cluster of daisies in a vase\u2014into the strange and uncanny. Many works are also rendered unusable, including a spiked ladder even the bravest among us would hesitate to climb.<\/p>\n

\"aDetail of \u201cWilt\u201d (2022), walnut, pine, red oak, urethane, pigment, and polyurethane, 125 x 25 1\/4 x 45 inches<\/p>\n

Now based in Ridgewood, Queens, De Lara grew up near Austin as a child of Mexican immigrants. He first learned woodoworking in his family\u2019s shop, which he describes as \u201ca world where each tool has its own language, each piece of wood shows the passing of time on its skin, and where one is able to communicate through their hands.\u201d A strong belief in animism, luck, and the paranormal pervaded this sacred space and taught the budding artist that he could harness the energy of a particular material to create beautiful objects. <\/p>\n

Today, he sees woodworking as a mode of storytelling, one in which magical realism flourishes. \u201cI welcome the idea that artworks can hold their own spark of life and extend it to us,\u201d De Lara says, adding: <\/p>\n

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When I make my work, I remember childhood memories of when I would see local carvers turn branches into saints. I always wondered at what point in
the carving process does the ghost enters that piece of wood. I strive to make works that invite a certain kind of trust and acceptance from the viewer, that let them live without our realm.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

As global concerns about immigration and human rights intensify, De Lara\u2019s work is all the more relevant. The artist has DACA status and knows firsthand the precarity and swift change that comes with a new administration. <\/p>\n

\"a\u201cLotion In Your Lungs\u201d (2019), pine, oak, wood glue, sand from Mexico\/US border, acrylic, and
lacquer, 72 x 24 x 50 inches<\/p>\n

His sculptures capture a sense of whimsy and play that might seem in opposition to this reality, but for De Lara, woodworking, and traditional craft more broadly, is a superpower. \u201cIt cannot be taken away from you as it is not tied to location, politics, or laws. You carry it with you and can practice anywhere, with anyone, and oftentimes, it disarms differences amongst us,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

See HOST through January 11, 2026. Keep up with De Lara\u2019s work on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"a\u201cFor Being Left-Handed\u201d (2020), pine, Chiclets gum, acrylic, brass, steel, and particle board, 24 x 13 x 13 inches<\/p>\n

\"anInstallation view of \u2018HOST: Raul De Lara\u2019 at The Contemporary Austin (2025). Photo by Alex Boeschenstein<\/p>\n

\"aDetail of \u201cFor Being Left-Handed\u201d (2020), pine, Chiclets gum, acrylic, brass, steel, and particle board, 24 x 13 x 13 inches<\/p>\n

\"a\u201c20 Years Later \/ 20 A\u00f1os Despu\u00e9s\u201d (2024), walnut, ash, steel, Polyx-wax, and polyurethane, 39 x 8 x 5 inches<\/p>\n

\"a\u201cFamilia\u201d (2024), walnut, Polyx-wax, and polyurethane, 40 x 41 x 26 inches<\/p>\n

\"RaulDe Lara with \u201cLa Escalera\u201d<\/p>\n

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