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Sand Sculptures Grace Malecon in La Paz
His studio is the city beach of La Paz in Baja California Sur. He is an artist whose work disintegrates in weeks, to reemerge in another form. And so December’s nativity scene becomes February’s pod of whales. And the whales have been plowed back into a long, high mound of sand: the sand sculptor’s latest effort becomes a life-sized version of The Last Supper.
Juan Guillermo Corvera Alemán likes his creations short-lived. That’s why he makes sculptures in sand. “Because it is like life, itself,” he says. “It’s of the earth, natural. I do not need to point to something on the wall and say, ‘This is my work.’ ”
Corvera’s path to La Paz has been a journey of unforeseen tw
ists. Born in Mexico City, the 28-year-old earned a degree in law. He was halfway through a second degree, this time anthropology, when he decided life wasn't going the way he wanted. That led to five years of traveling around Mexico.
He was walking down the Malecón in Puerto Vallarta when he saw the sand sculptures of José Gonzales. Corvera had no background in art. But he persuaded the sculptor to take him on as a student. Puerto Vallarta is also where Corvera met his partner Alma, 26. She’s trained as an architect.
Since then, the two have traveled together. Corvera creates sand sculptures, his partner makes jewelry. They live on the contents of donation boxes for the sculptures and from the sale of Alma’s jewelry and handicrafts.
Is it enough to cover living expenses? “Some days yes, some days no,” Corvera says. Our conversation is in Spanish, translated and summarized here.
Corvera has created a sand version of La Pieta. He has given the Virgin Mary a Mexican face. In fact, she looks a lot like his partner Alma. The sculptor says he chose La Pieta because he admires Michelangelo’s work. And because he is hoping that the Catholic passersby will be moved to be a little more generous with their donations.
Other sand creations include a pyramid of figures wrapped around one another, arms stretched upwards, individual features obscured. It’s called Almas (Souls), the same as his partner’s name. Then there is La Cara (the face) with its gaping mouth. The expression is ambiguous: it could be fear, amazement, death.
There is also a humongous hand, index finger pointing up. Like many of the other pieces, this sculpture reaches skyward. The sculptor uses spiritual themes, but he shies 
away from the label of God. The finger, for example, is pointing to “la grandeza,” grandness or magnificence.
In February, around the time of the full moon, the couple’s first baby was born. Her name is Luna. Within days a new sculpture emerged: a sand-baby, clinging to the moon, sheltered by a large hand.
The new baby and the increasingly hot sun have added challenges to the life of the sand sculptor. Family obligations take the place of sculpting in the cool early mornings. During the heat of the day, when the sand is too dry to sculpt, he is kept busy spraying a light mist of water on the statues to keep the detailed work from crumbling back to sand.
A child, of course, means the need for more money. The work of a lawyer or architect is more secure, more lucrative. But Corvera is quick to reject the idea. He clutches his throat. “Esclavos,” he says. The word means "slaves."
So will he continue his work as a sculptor of sand? “Ojalá (god willing),” he says. The plan is to work their way up the Baja peninsula when Luna is old enough to travel. Corvera’s idea is to “sell” sand sculptures to businesses along the way. He will try to interest hotels in hiring him to create pieces on a particular theme to promote events and festivals – sand sculptures for a tour of bikers, for example.
Meanwhile on La Paz beach, the sun continues to beat down. Faces on the older sculptures erode, nose and lips crumbling away. Soon the sand sculptor will begin work anew, transforming what’s left into the next generation of art.
About the Author
Courtesy of the blog "Roz in La Paz"
For information and features on the arts and music scene in La Paz, visit http://rozinlapaz.blogspot.com
