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The Anaconda — A Traveling Sculpture in Motion

Anaconda, Feature Post

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Join us at the studio for our first Open House — step inside the Anaconda before it travels through Houston

The Anaconda is a walk-in sculpture, about 11 × 9 feet, that visitors can step inside.

A Serpent of Origin, Memory, and Movement

Artist Statement

The Anaconda is a giant sculpture, about 11 × 9 feet, that visitors can step inside. It is shaped like a coiled serpent, creating a sensory space where people can pause, imagine, and experience a world of forest, river, and myth.

This work is inspired by Chiribiquete, a vast national park in Colombia known for its ancient rock paintings and deep cosmologies. In its mythology, the anaconda is the origin of life: she descends from the stars, gives birth to the Amazon River, and from its waters all life emerges.

The sculpture is currently being built at TXRX Labs in Houston, with its first public presentation scheduled at the Children’s Museum of Houston in September, followed by an extended showing at The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art through December 2025. After this period, the artist will seek another temporary or permanent home for the work, allowing the Anaconda to continue its journey as a traveling sculpture.

Timeline of the Anaconda Life and Whereabouts.

🛠 Construction Timeline (TXRX Labs)

  • Aug 1–10 — Design & sourcing

  • Aug 11–15 — Frame build + preparation at TXRX

  • Sat. Aug 16 — First resin/fiber layer (bodies ×2 + dome), head installation

  • Sun. Aug 17 — Second resin/fiber layer (bodies ×2 + dome), continue head installation

  • Mon. Aug 18 — Finish 2nd resin/fiber layer (bodies ×2 + dome)

  • Tue. Aug 19 — Neutral coat + Blue paint (bodies ×2 + dome), dome paper ceiling

  • Wed. Aug 20 — Construct tail, finish body/dome paint, paint dome interior

  • Sat. Aug 23 — OPEN HOUSE (4–8 PM)

  • Aug 24–31 — Illustrative painting (bodies ×2 + dome), tail resin/fiber, dome interior design & sealing, final exterior resin coat

  • Sept 1–7 — Interior lighting & sound setup, final adjustments

  • Mon. Sept 8 — Transportation to Childrens Museum.

🎉 Public Exhibition Timeline

  • Sept 12 – Oct 4, 2025 — Children’s Museum of Houston (first exhibition)

  • Oct – Dec 2025 — The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art (extended installation)

  • 2026 (TBD) — Searching for the Anaconda’s next temporary or permanent home If you have a space in mind—whether a museum, public art program, or cultural venue—where El Guio could live and breathe, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I would love to hear from you.

TEAM

This project brings together Loriana Espinel and a circle of collaborators whose contributions and expertise in sculpture and project management strengthens the execution and organization of the work

Together, the team shapes an experience that is both personal and communal, inviting audiences into a layered exploration of form, spirit, and culture

Loriana Espinel — Lead Artist

A multidisciplinary artist whose practice bridges calligraphy, sculpture, and installation. Her recent projects explore the intersections of language, myth, and landscape, transforming writing into spatial experiences. As lead artist, she brings a vision rooted in both ancestral narratives and contemporary experimentation, guiding collaborative processes that invite communities into dialogue with art as gesture, form, and presence.

Mariela G. Domínguez

Multidisciplinary artist, curator, and cultural manager based in Houston since 2016. She has led independent curatorial projects across South America and the U.S., and her work has been shown in institutions including the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Archway Gallery, and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.

Justin Earl Grant

Visual artist with a background in mathematics, whose work explores abstraction, identity, and cultural intersections. After several years in South America, he returned to Houston in 2016, where his paintings and mixed-media works have been exhibited in local and international venues

 

Website 

Collaborators

This project would not have been possible without the generous contributions of talented collaborators:

  • Ángeles Romero crafted the immersive sound design inside the Anaconda, creating an auditory atmosphere that deepens the sensory experience.

  • Claudia Espinel lent her voice, bringing intimacy and depth to the soundscape with her poetic narration.

  • Alekos gifted one of his iconic illustrations of the Anaconda, infusing the piece with a visual layer of myth and memory.

Each of them brought a unique energy that helped shape El Guio into a living, breathing space of story and sensation.

Funding & Acknowledgments

This project, The Anaconda — A Traveling Sculpture in Motion, is made possible through 100% funding from the Center for Mexican American & Latino/a Studies (CMALS) at the University of Houston, under its initiative Latino cARTographies.

Latino cARTographies, directed by Dr. Pamela Anne Quiroz with the collaboration of cultural strategist Juana Guzmán, is an innovative digital humanities project that maps and celebrates Latino artists, organizations, and cultural landmarks across Houston and beyond. By doing so, CMALS amplifies the visibility, creativity, and impact of Latino art and culture.

We are deeply grateful for this support, which makes The Anaconda sculpture and its community journey possible.

👉 Click the image below to learn more about Latino cARTographies

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