A group of nearly 80 Mexican cultural workers, including artists, critics, and academics, has signed an open letter denouncing the display of Pedro Reyes's sculpture "Tlali" at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The colossal lava stone head, unveiled earlier this month at LACMA's new building, echoes a controversial 2021 public commission by Reyes that was scrapped by Mexico City's government after protests from feminist and Indigenous advocates. The signatories accuse LACMA of ignoring the previous activism against the artist's work in Mexico, calling the museum's decision to legitimize a new version of the polemic sculpture "deceiving." Reyes has not responded to requests for comment.
This controversy matters because it highlights ongoing tensions between major U.S. museums and the communities whose cultural heritage they engage with, particularly regarding representation and consultation. The letter underscores the failure of institutional due diligence when displaying works by non-Indigenous artists that appropriate Indigenous imagery, especially after a similar project was rejected in Mexico. It also raises questions about LACMA's sensitivity to transnational cultural politics as it opens a $720 million building, and whether the museum prioritized a high-profile commission over ethical considerations that were already publicly debated in Mexico.