This hammerhead shark by Magaly Fuentes and her husband, Jose Calvo, is one of my favorite pieces because it captures so much of what I love about Oaxacan folk art. The carving itself is full of movement—you can almost see the shark twisting through the water with incredible grace. What makes it truly special, though, is the painting. Every inch is covered in fine, hand-painted patterns: deep cobalt blues that remind me of the ocean, bright rainbow tones that burst with energy, and geometric motifs that trace back to the roots of Zapotec design.
I admire how Magaly didn’t just paint on the surface but made the colors flow with the sculpture’s curves, so the patterns and the form become one.
The hammerhead itself is a powerful, almost mystical creature, and here it feels transformed into a dreamlike guardian of the sea. It’s bold, imaginative, and masterfully done, exactly what makes alebrijes so extraordinary.
