Disease Thrower is part of a series Guadalupe Maravilla created as he battled cancer, which he saw as the physical manifestation of the trauma he experienced as a young unaccompanied child migrating from El Salvador to the United States. The sculpture incorporates gongs, which are used for sound baths and performances by Maravilla and his collaborators. I have thought of this piece often as the coronavirus crisis has increasingly shown the disparities in access to care and treatment for Latinx and Black communities in this country, as staying home and social distancing aren’t options to those on the front lines or in detention centers. The hope in this piece is how our own community leaders, artists, and activists can use art to not only weave counternarratives, but also to heal these systemic inequities.

Submitted by Elena Ketelsen González, Senior Fellow of Public Programs and Community Engagement, MoMA PS1