lapa i - encounter

here the lapa is found, in a meadow plain mid-strut, scavenging for a meal, and cursing hunters under her breath.

la lapa is a large forest rodent native to venezuela; it became a small fixation for me on my recent trip home. it’s an endangered animal often hunted for meat, but it also appears in simón díaz’s song la lapa, which calls for its protection and care. learned it as a jingle in primary school even.

i started painting the lapa in a limited colour palette, and it became a way to think about nature, our national heritage, and venezuela’s vast fauna.