Colombian artist Delcy Morelos has created "Origo," her first monumental outdoor earthen sculpture in Europe, now on view at the Barbican Centre in London. The 24-meter-wide ring of soil and clay, installed with 30 tonnes of material, invites visitors to walk through dark, fragrant tunnels and experience the earth as a living, sensory medium. The work occupies the sculpture court for the first time in a decade and is free to the public.
This commission marks a significant milestone for Morelos, whose profile has risen since her acclaimed installation "Earthly Paradise" at the 2022 Venice Biennale. Her work challenges Western notions of nature as inert, drawing on Indigenous cosmologies to emphasize humanity's connection to the earth. By placing this piece in a major public institution like the Barbican, the article underscores a broader shift in the art world toward recognizing artists from the Global South and Indigenous perspectives.