- Venue
- Paladar Restaurant
- Starts
- Thursday, September 8, 2022
- Ends
- Friday, September 9, 2022
- Address
- 4-5 London Rd, London SE1 6JZ
- Location
- London
- Organiser
- Paladar Restaurant
London-based Chilean artist Tere Chad has been commissioned to create a new, permanent art installation for the courtyard garden of popular Latin American restaurant Paladar in Elephant & Castle. The commission is a contemporary interpretation of ‘Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre’, better known as ‘Virgen de la Caridad’ – Our Lady of Charity, the patron saint of Cuba.
The piece takes the form of a syncretic icon, which represents both the Christian Virgin Mary and Òşhun, an orisha (goddess) from the African Yoruba culture, which was brought to Cuba by slaves who continued to revere her through the centuries, despite the colonial imposition of Christianity. As was common in Afro-Latino culture, Christian saints and Yoruba orishas became syncretised, with particular saints becoming linked with particular orishas.
Cuban legend has it that in 1612 three boys (all called John and known as the “tres Juanes”) were in a boat in Nipe Bay, Eastern Cuba when a storm blew up. They prayed that they would be saved; suddenly the storm subsided and they saw a statue of Our Lady of Charity appear in the sea. They took the statue back to the local town, where it was installed in a small chapel. It was moved several times before its final resting place in the Basílica Santuario Nacional de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre in the hills outside the town of El Cobre. Òşhun is associated with fertility, rivers, beauty and love, and yellow/gold are her colours. Tere Chad’s statue will be covered with a gold cloth until its unveiling. Both Our Lady of Charity and Òşhun are protectors of those about to give birth.
The commission embodies the shared passion of both Tere Chad and Paladar for promoting the diverse cultures of Latin America to the rest of the world. Tere, who leads projects like Neo Norte (New North), works in multiple media and has exhibited her work internationally. After graduating from the MA Sculpture at the Royal College of Art in 2020, she was granted a Global Talent Visa to continue pursuing her artistic practice in the UK. For this commission, Tere has worked on three pieces of mosaic and a main ceramic figure. The creative process involved assessment from the London School of Mosaic and Chris Bramble Ceramics Studios.
Paladar is a critically acclaimed Latin American restaurant in the heart of London SE1, which since opening in 2017 has sought to serve as ‘a centre of excellence for Latin America in London’. It serves vibrant, colourful, gluten-free dishes which draw inspiration from across Latin America, accompanied by wines and spirits exclusively from South & Central America. Paladar also champions Latin American art, providing free exhibition space for emerging LatAm artists, and hosting occasional musical and cultural events and receptions representing the region.
The unveiling of the sculpture will be held on Thursday 8th September – the Cuban feast day for Our Lady of Charity and Òşhun. At the opening reception Paladar will be serving special Afro-Cuban inspired canapés, accompanied by wines donated by Errázuriz. Errázuriz is a well-known Chilean winery with a family tradition, which connects strongly with the artist’s heritage. Tere Chad’s artwork will remain on permanent display in Paladar’s covered courtyard garden, for diners to enjoy in perpetuity.
CONTACT: email: [email protected] Instagram: @paladarlondon @terechad
DATE: Thursday 8th September, 18:00 – 22:00hrs
ADDRESS: Paladar, 4-5 London Rd, London SE1 6JZ paladarlondon.com
NEAREST STATIONS: Elephant & Castle, Waterloo
