Colombian Artist Delcy Morelos Unveils 30-Tonne Soil Sculpture at Barbican
The Barbican's Sculpture Court is set to host a monumental new installation by Colombian artist Delcy Morelos. Titled Origo, meaning origin, the 24-metre-wide outdoor pavilion is crafted from 30 tonnes of soil and organic materials, inviting visitors to walk through cave-like passages and rest in a central patio designed for meditative activities such as tai chi.
Morelos, known for her immersive earthworks, describes her work as a mission to reconnect people with the earth. “I want to create experiences where people discover answers to questions they didn’t know they had,” she says. The installation is free to enter and will evolve over time, exposed to weather and the elements. “People can visit multiple times, seeing it evolve through weather and time,” Morelos explains.
The artist's practice is rooted in Andean cosmovision, which perceives mountains, rivers, and soil as sentient beings. She criticizes the extractivist mindset that treats earth as property, a concept she links to colonization. Instead, she advocates for horizontal relationships of care and listening. “When you listen to someone, you’re looking after them,” she says.
Origo follows the success of Morelos' earlier work The Womb Space in Mexico City, which attracted over 60,000 visitors. That installation evoked nostalgia and a sense of primal connection, with one visitor whispering, “It smells like my ranch! Like playing in the dirt as a child.”
The Barbican installation will be dismantled in August, embracing impermanence. “There’s a fetish that artworks should be preserved forever,” Morelos says. “But this work will only exist in the memories of those who lived the experience.”
Origo opens on 15 May at the Barbican, London.
