Mythical winged creatures land in Fresno. See this public art exhibit from Mexico City

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Fresno State’s College of Arts and Humanities recently teased a public art exhibit in a series of cryptic posts on social media.

The posts show photos of several winged bronzed statues — masked mythical creatures caught mid-motion.

One sits perched upon a ball , wings outstretched, gazing into the distance.

Another balances in a gymnastics pose , feet pointed to the sky.

In another, a winged and robed figure holds a woman in a close embrace.

“Who are they? These creatures who have landed at Fresno State?”

In all, five life-sized bronze statues were officially unveiled to the public Monday, though they have been on display since they were installed along Maple Mall on campus over Labor Day weekend.

The pieces are taken from “Wings of the City,” an exhibition created by renowned Mexican sculptor Jorge Marín that was first displayed in Mexico City in 2010. Since then, the statues has been put on public display in cities across the world.

They will remain at Fresno State through the next year.

“It is my hope that students of all disciplines find in my work an open window towards self-knowledge and universal artistic culture, generating knowledge and ways to promote diversity,” Marín said in a release from the university.

It certainly sparks interest among those passing by, said Chris Lopez, director of the school’s Center for Creativity and the Arts.

A QR code is posted at the base of each piece so viewers can get more information on the exhibit. Lopez said the day after it was installed he was seeing people stopped in front of the statues, engaged in the artwork.

“I just came out here and that was happening,” Lopez said.

“Wings of the City” is sponsored by México Consulado en Fresno , Diplomacia Cultural de México and the Instructionally Related Activities program at Fresno State, which worked for nearly two years to bring the exhibit to Fresno.

Along with being open for public viewing, the exhibit will be part of a series of tours and discussions hosted by the Center for Creativity and the Arts over the next year.

Lopez is also working to have the artist for a campus visit.

The exhibit is in line with the center’s mission to inspire both those on and off campus, and is part of a larger collection of public art, much of which is installed around the university’s Conley Art Building. In the near distance from Marín’s statues, you can see a colorful totem pole. It was created out of ceramic bull skulls as part of a permanent collection, Lopez said, though it was designed to fall apart and return to the ground as it ages.

It’s all meant to add to the aesthetic landscape of the university, Lopez said.

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