Pista de Oro

22ct gold leaf on pavement; public intervention in Venice, Bogota, Colombia. Gold had great spiritual significance in pre-Hispanic Colombia. This work referenced the legend of El Dorado, the naked gold-dust powdered king of the Muisca, who was reputed to cleanse himself daily in the lnearby Lake Guatavita. In the 16th century, the Spanish Conquistadors plundered and melted down as many of the local ritual artifacts as they could into gold bars and shipped them to Spain. Several local inhabitants of the barrio of Veniçe took part in the installation of the piece, which was a celebratory event and intended as a gift to the descendants of the Muisca people.