This playful wall-hanging bat by Luis Pablo spreads its wings across a warm golden-yellow field of purple flowers and curling green vines. Deep red defines the body and wing edges, while scattered orange dots give the surface a lively rhythm. The upright ears, round watchful eyes, and bright pink-orange muzzle add plenty of personality, and the simple zigzag across the chest gives the center of the carving a crisp graphic accent.
Bats also have a fascinating symbolic significance in ancient Mesoamerica. In the art of the Zapotec people from Oaxaca, bats were linked with darkness, caves, and the underworld, areas which were seen as passages between various realms of existence. Their symbolism was not merely connected with death. Bat imagery could likewise be associated with fertility, regeneration, and renewal, the animal thus becoming a strong symbol of transformation and the ongoing cycle of life.
Here Luis Pablo gives a completely different interpretation of that mysterious symbolism. Purple flowers and green vines crawl over the golden wings as if the bat has brought a garden into the night. The contrast between an animal usually linked with darkness and a surface decorated with flowers and growing plants is especially beautiful. It is most clearly the work of Luis Pablo, bold in form, confident in color, and full of imagination.
