Guadalupe Maravilla’s multi-disciplinary practice is rooted in a simple premise: sound is medicine.
The artist is known for works that merge sculpture, performance, instruments, and healing, one such project being the elaborately retrofitted school bus titled “Mariposa Relámpago.” Part of Maravilla’s Disease Throwers series, the large-scale coach is devoid of bench seats and ubiquitous yellow paint and instead features an open cab lined with chrome panels. More than 700 found objects adorn its body, from cutlery and a worn pair of sandals to large gongs.
“Mariposa Relámpago,” which translates to lightning butterfly, is also the subject of a new film from Art21. The short documentary recounts Maravilla’s experience of immigrating to the United States as an unaccompanied child to escape the civil war in his native El Salvador. He often returns to the objects and spaces that informed his journey in his practice, harnessing the energy of each and transforming them into sites of recuperation and relief.
The film features images of the elaborately decorated vehicles that characterized Maravilla’s childhood and inspired this project. “I wanted to bring a school bus from El Salvador to the United States, and I wanted to have the same migratory path that I had as a kid,” he says in the film.
After its Boston debut in 2023, “Mariposa Relámpago” has continued to travel around the U.S., particularly across West Texas and the border with Mexico. At Ballroom Marfa, border control agents joined the general public in a sound bath ceremony on the bus. “My community sees them as very threatening,” the artist says, “but I realized that I wanted to do a ceremony for border patrol agents because it’s not just about healing those that have been hurt but also healing other more complex situations as well.”
As we collectively grapple with the consequences of the current administration, Maravilla’s works take on a new level of importance. “I think everyone needs to heal something,” he adds.
Part of Art21’s New York Close Up series, this film follows the nonprofit’s 2021 documentary featuring Maravilla’s outdoor sound baths at Socrates Sculpture Park. The artist is currently working at Recycled Artists in Residency in Philadelphia, where he’s creating his own instruments. Follow his work on Instagram.