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Yesterday, June 19, Ciudad Esperanza, Luciano Calderon’s first solo exhibition in a museum pre-opened at Museo de Arte Antonio Paredes Candia in El Alto, Bolivia. The exhibition is a continuation of his recent show, El Choco, in which Calderon’s hometown of El Alto and the neighboring city La Paz played a central role. Ciudad Esperanza includes both new large scale works as well as some older pieces, both of which evoked strong positive feedback from the enthusiastic crowd at the pre-opening.

As he did with El Choco, Calderon collaborated with local craftsmen of his neighborhood to produce some of his works for Ciudad Esperanza. In Chismoso Como Tu, which translates to God sees everything but he ain’t a snitch like you, Calderon uses a common phrase to reflect on the mentality that prevails on the streets of El Alto, a city where almost everybody lives under harsh circumstances.

Calderon’s painting Escudo is inspired by El Alto’s official coat of arms. Using his own unique visual language, Calderon took the text from this coat of arms and transformed it into an art piece.

The official opening will take place later this month.

Chismoso Como Tu, 2013, mixed media on plastic, 220x340cm

Escudo, 2013, mixed media on canvas, 150x200cm