bosco sodi's gridded 'atlantes' installation comprises more than 100,000 clay bricks

artist bosco sodi has situated a monumental site-specific installation along mexico’s oaxacan coast. demanding over two years of construction, ‘atlantes’ comprises more than 100,000 clay bricks weighing more than 700 tonnes. the work is located in close proximity to the artist’s foundation, casa wabi, in the largely uninhabited area near the mexican port town of puerto escondido. over time, the sculpture will weather and evolve as a result of its coastal setting — displaying signs of erosion and plant growth.

all images and videos by sergio lópez

‘atlantes’ was unveiled by the trio of galleries that represent bosco sodi — kasmin, blain|southern, and galería hilario galguera. the project consists of 64 clay cubes of 7 feet x 7 feet x 7 feet; each cube is composed of 1,600 clay bricks made by hand by the artist and a team of local craftsman in a traditional oaxacan kiln nearby to the site. in total, the installation is the sum of over 102,000 clay bricks.

the monumental scale and gridded structure of the installation form an observatory for experiencing the site’s variance in light and landscape at different times of day, and over the course of the year. standing among the cubes, the dramatic sightlines of the landscape are reconfigured according to the viewer’s orientation. this intends to emphasize the power of perspective and induce a feeling of reverence and awe in response to the surrounding landscape.

to produce the bricks, sodi extracted raw earth before mixing it with water sand to form clay. the clay is then shaped and smoothed by hand into solid cubes that are left to air dry. once cured, the cubes are fired in a traditional brick kiln with wood, jacaranda seeds, and coconut shells — a process that imbues the cubes with varied terracotta hues, streaks of green and black, and a multitude of fissures in the surface, giving each cube a unique identity.