In observance of National Hispanic Heritage Month, the City of South Padre island has displayed a three-piece set by artist Javier Marin of Mexico.
The work of art, entitled “The Three Colossal Heads,” consists of Cabeza Vainilla, which is Spanish for vanilla. This is a bearded male’s head that weighs 1.3 tons. Then there’s Cabeza Cordoba – the upside-down head of a woman weighing in at 1,763 pounds. Cabeza Chiapas is a more abstract interpretation of a human head that weighs 1.984 pounds.
The heads, which are visible upon crossing the Queen Isabell Memorial Causeway onto the Island, were made from polyester resin and iron, a mixture which the artist has applied for a patent.
Rachel Flores, Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) director for South Padre Island, said that the display is part of a partnership with the Brownsville Museum of Fine Arts. “The Island doesn’t have a museum of its own, so we figured as we’re focusing more towards regional tourism we wanted to highlight work with our neighbors (as well as) try to provide our visitors a we’ll –rounded experience,” she said.
Flores said she had already established a relationship with the museum before the heads made their way to the Island. “We thought it would be a great idea for us to be able to share pieces, such as Javier Marin’s sculptures,” she added. “Before they were moved (out of Brownsville to anther region in North America) … we asked if we could host them for a certain time period, and everyone thought it was a great idea.” Flores said.
The statues will be on display until the first week of May, according to Flores, who further noted, “We want to hit all our high-tourism seasons.”
“We’ve definitely been monitoring the response on social media, and it’s been very positive,” Flores said before sharing that she’s received such positive feedback via phone calls and email.