Claudia Martínez Garay is one of the 8 artists commissioned to create an artwork for the new acquarium at ARTIS in Amsterdam (NL).
THE RIVER IN THE SKY, 2026
This artwork shows a colorful sunset in the Amazon, placed across large windows so that warm light and color come into the space. It connects with the fish and other species from the Amazon, reflecting their bright colors and movement, and creating a calm, immersive atmosphere.
In the image, there are well-known animals such as the paiche, one of the largest freshwater fish, and the bufeo, the pink river dolphin. Both animals are important in local culture and are part of many stories and myths.
There are also smaller figures in the work. These come from old manuscripts and archives that show life in the Amazon. Some of these images are joyful, while others show more difficult realities, such as the exploitation of the land and its people, both in the past and today.
The artwork is a collage made from different sources. It includes images from the artist’s own schoolbooks from the 1980s and 1990s, mixed with older archival materials found during research at the Artis Library.
At the same time, the work is inspired by another image: the river seen in the sky. At sunset, the water reflects the sky like a mirror, so the sky and the river look almost the same. It can feel like the sky is trying to copy the river. This moment connects earth, water, and air in a quiet and poetic way.
The work celebrates the beauty and richness of nature in the Amazon, but it also reminds us of the social and political challenges that the region still faces.
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