The past is never dead. It's not even past. This infamous William Faulkner quote, borrowed for the title of Carlos Castro Arias' exhibition, reflects both the artist's and the writer's beliefs in the enduring significance of history and how it continues to exert its influence on the present. Faulkner's motto also perfectly resumes the research of the Bogota-born, San Diego-based artist. Castro Arias often evokes traditional artistic genres connected to the Western art historical tradition, like tapestry, commemorative painting, and sculpture. He subverts the linguistic codes of this aristocratic references to narrate the contradictions and vulgarity that expose Colombian society's paradoxes, myths, and rites.

Another recurrent theme in Castro Arias’ work is his attention to historical figures and foundational events, hijacking their appearance in order to question their current meaning. Such is the case for his obsession with Cristopher Columbus, Simón Bolivar, or the Catholic Monarchs, finding incisive ways to dispute the grandeur of each historical figure. The opening sculptures are a 19th Century monument defaced in public space and recontextualized in the museum context.