La Sombra by Teresa Margolles

In the Summer of 2016Los Angeles saw the birth and death of its own shadow. As a part of Current:LA Public Art Biennial brought forth by the Department of Cultural Affairs; Teresa Margolles erected La Sombra, a monumental yet minimalist structure made of concrete that stood colossal at Echo Park.

There is a long history of death in Echo Park, Teresa explained to me. Death is all around us. In Los Angeles, it’s a reality we don’t keep ever-present, but it’s a reality that can signal to our demise in a near future. La Sombra came to witness the reality of a city in which displacement has emerged at large in alarming numbers. In a sui generis language: intellectual, fragile, confrontational, colossal, momentous, and critical, La Sombra had a conversation in a city that embraced its existence while questioning its presence. After witnessing countless blissful and somber moments alike by La Sombra, my ideals of public engagement vanished. My essence of the reality of the city crashed, and my notions of being a part of a society in which death permeates every crevice of reality nearly broke my heart.

I witnessed La Sombra, it witnessed me.

Excerpt by Erika Hirugami