Joining Culture and the Land: Karla García’s “Rebuilt from the Ground Up”

Review by Melissa Gamez-Herrera published in Glasstire on June 4th, 2022.

Rebuilt from the Ground Up is a large-scale ceramic installation of 500 handmade terracotta pieces that resemble nopal de orejas, or the ears of the prickly pear cactus. The cactus, a direct reference to the ancient history of Mexico and the U.S./Mexico border, is a ubiquitous symbol of the region, and is usually tied to Mexico and its national flag. Karla García, however, uses the cactus in her work as something different and more deeply personal.