On the surface of Bilbao’s Nervión River, the large pale face of a girl has emerged, with brown hair and eyes wide with terror. The installation is the latest work by Ruben Orozco Loza, a Mexican artist famous for his hyperrealist sculptures.
The disturbing aspect of BIHAR (this is the name of the work) is meant to help convey the deeper meaning of the project. Ruben Orozco installation is in fact a social awareness campaign against the uncertainty of the future for young people. The initiative is promoted by the association BBK, which through an Instagram post summarized the meaning with the claim “You decide whether we drown or rise to the surface”.
The future of BIHAR for Ruben Orozco is therefore the future of an entire generation, which must have the opportunity to emerge from the waters.
The work was created together with his assistant Clara Alcantara, weighing a total of 100kg. The material used by the two for the face is fiberglass, painted with a translucent resin and supported by a steel structure. BIHAR is visible from the Zubizuri Bridge, when the tide goes out and the work emerges.