Light Between the Islands background by Grimanesa Amoros
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MARIPOSA DORADA

Grimanesa Amorós MARIPOSA DORADA, 55 x 35 x 10-foot public art light sculpture and outdoor LED sculpture at the 13th Havana Biennial, Cuba, 2019. Made of stainless steel, diffusion and reflective material, and LEDs, this monumental light sculpture is inspired by Cuba's national flower, the Flor de Mariposa, whose shifting LED sequence weaves a perpetually changing dance of brilliance embodying the Cuban people's spirit and indomitable will. Outdoor light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amorós MARIPOSA DORADA, 55 x 35 x 10-foot public art light sculpture and outdoor LED sculpture at the 13th Havana Biennial, Cuba, 2019. Made of stainless steel, diffusion and reflective material, and LEDs, this monumental light sculpture is inspired by Cuba's national flower, the Flor de Mariposa, whose shifting LED sequence weaves a perpetually changing dance of brilliance embodying the Cuban people's spirit and indomitable will. Outdoor light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amorós MARIPOSA DORADA, 55 x 35 x 10-foot public art light sculpture and outdoor LED sculpture at the 13th Havana Biennial, Cuba, 2019. Made of stainless steel, diffusion and reflective material, and LEDs, this monumental light sculpture is inspired by Cuba's national flower, the Flor de Mariposa, whose shifting LED sequence weaves a perpetually changing dance of brilliance embodying the Cuban people's spirit and indomitable will. Outdoor light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amorós MARIPOSA DORADA, 55 x 35 x 10-foot public art light sculpture and outdoor LED sculpture at the 13th Havana Biennial, Cuba, 2019. Made of stainless steel, diffusion and reflective material, and LEDs, this monumental light sculpture is inspired by Cuba's national flower, the Flor de Mariposa, whose shifting LED sequence weaves a perpetually changing dance of brilliance embodying the Cuban people's spirit and indomitable will. Outdoor light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amorós MARIPOSA DORADA, 55 x 35 x 10-foot public art light sculpture and outdoor LED sculpture at the 13th Havana Biennial, Cuba, 2019. Made of stainless steel, diffusion and reflective material, and LEDs, this monumental light sculpture is inspired by Cuba's national flower, the Flor de Mariposa, whose shifting LED sequence weaves a perpetually changing dance of brilliance embodying the Cuban people's spirit and indomitable will. Outdoor light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amorós MARIPOSA DORADA, 55 x 35 x 10-foot public art light sculpture and outdoor LED sculpture at the 13th Havana Biennial, Cuba, 2019. Made of stainless steel, diffusion and reflective material, and LEDs, this monumental light sculpture is inspired by Cuba's national flower, the Flor de Mariposa, whose shifting LED sequence weaves a perpetually changing dance of brilliance embodying the Cuban people's spirit and indomitable will. Outdoor light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amorós MARIPOSA DORADA, 55 x 35 x 10-foot public art light sculpture and outdoor LED sculpture at the 13th Havana Biennial, Cuba, 2019. Made of stainless steel, diffusion and reflective material, and LEDs, this monumental light sculpture is inspired by Cuba's national flower, the Flor de Mariposa, whose shifting LED sequence weaves a perpetually changing dance of brilliance embodying the Cuban people's spirit and indomitable will. Outdoor light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amorós MARIPOSA DORADA, 55 x 35 x 10-foot public art light sculpture and outdoor LED sculpture at the 13th Havana Biennial, Cuba, 2019. Made of stainless steel, diffusion and reflective material, and LEDs, this monumental light sculpture is inspired by Cuba's national flower, the Flor de Mariposa, whose shifting LED sequence weaves a perpetually changing dance of brilliance embodying the Cuban people's spirit and indomitable will. Outdoor light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amoros video thumbnail for MARIPOSA DORADA

Location: 13th Havana Biennial / Detras del Muro | Havana, Cuba, 2019
55 ft x 35 ft x 10 ft (16.76 m x 10.67 m x 3.05 m)
Stainless steel, diffusion material and reflective material, LEDs, custom lighting sequence, and electrical hardware.

MARIPOSA DORADA is a monumental light sculpture presented at the 13th Havana Biennial, drawing from the symbolic history of Cuba’s national flower to trace a transformation from natural form to cultural emblem. The installation situates light as a living presence, articulating continuity, change, and collective memory within the public realm.

  • Conceived in dialogue with Cuba’s Flor de Mariposa, the work reflects how a botanical form evolved from an elegant blossom into a symbol associated with resistance and revolutionary history, carrying layered cultural meaning into a contemporary sculptural language.
  • Installed through a collaboration with Detras del Muro, MARIPOSA DORADA became part of the Biennial’s “cultural corridor,” a citywide framework that encourages direct exchange between artists, local communities, and the urban environment.
  • The sculpture’s custom lighting sequence produces an ever-shifting field of illumination, inviting viewers to experience the work from multiple vantage points as light continuously alters perception and spatial relationships.
  • MARIPOSA DORADA embodies a meditation on balance, echoing the cyclical nature of history and the persistence of collective will in the face of contradiction.
  • The project has been discussed in coverage of Grimanesa Amoros’s international public installations in Artforum and Artnexus (2019), situating the work within broader conversations on site-specific public art, light-based sculpture, and contemporary Cuban and Latin American art.

    • MARIPOSA DORADA, inspired by Cuba‘s national flower, the Flor de Mariposa, known for transforming form from an elegant blossom to a tool of revolution during colonial times, the installation breathes life into a profound shift in meaning.

    Amoros’s lighting sculpture is a captivating invitation to observe its multidimensional essence from various angles as light perpetually weaves an ever-changing dance of brilliance. MARIPOSA DORADA beckons contemplation of balance. The installation reflects the ever-changing course of history, embodying the people’s spirit and indomitable will to seek harmony amidst life’s contradictions.

    As a standout piece in the 13th Havana Biennial, MARIPOSA DORADA engages in a dialogue that transcends art and culture. This light sculpture installation by Grimanesa Amoros embraces the essence of Cuba’s history and vibrant artistic landscape.

    Description: The 13th Havana Biennial, the most significant visual arts event in Cuba, transforms the island’s capital city and creates a “cultural corridor” simultaneously; because of this,  creators and the public interact. Therefore, working with the Detras del Muro organization, Grimanesa Amoros created MARIPOSA DORADA, a monumental light sculpture installation for the 13th Havana Biennial. 

    Learn more about MARIPOSA DORADA here.