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lapa ii - cave of lovers

By <a href="https://axisweb.org/artist/abigailvillarroel" title="Abigail Villarroel" class="inline font-bold underline transition-opacity duration-100 hover:opacity-50 focus:opacity-50"> Abigail Villarroel </a> 2026

here she guards her cave w instinctual diligence. she’s no punk, and will not let *anyone just enter.

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.

grateful for the freewheelin joy this little creature has brought me in its company.

Screenshot 2026 03 11 at 00 18 40 1773233782 Abigail Villarroel

Tempest in rawlings room (come in out of the darkness)

Sighted, Bovine and Divine

Vaca mariposa sobre llanos perdidos / Butterfly cow over lost plains,

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