The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 10, 2026

A plaster and wood sculpture depicts an irregular, head-like silhouette in matte black. From the left, a textured, gnarled piece of raw wood protrudes like a nose. The dark face is etched with a complex network of thin, gray lines forming overlapping circles, arcs, and a central grid. This geometric pattern radiates across the entire surface, contrasting the organic wood with a precise, mathematical design.

Mapa estelar en árbol

2009

Gabriel Orozco

(Mexican, b. 1962)
Mexico, 21st century
calcium sulfate (plaster), animal glue, graphite and mango tree trunk
Overall: 72.6 x 69.7 x 40 cm (28 9/16 x 27 7/16 x 15 3/4 in.)
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2009.343
© Gabriel Orozco
Location: Not on view

Description

Orozco incorporates objects from urban and natural settings in his artwork. A fallen mango tree found in the state of Morelos in southern Mexico acts as the base for Mapa estelar en árbol. Indigenous inhabitants of Morelos use wood from mango trees for cooking and heating. Orozco has covered one side of the trunk with an even layer of animal glue, or gesso, on top of which he applied a layer of graphite that he fastidiously etched with a compass point. This process references an old master technique, one of many that Orozco has resurrected as part of his work.
  • The work was made during the first months of the year 2009. It was exhibited for the first time as part of Orozco's solo exhibition at Kurimanzutto gallery in Mexico City, which opened on April 25, 2009 (April 29 to the public) and closed on June 13th, 2009. The work was put on hold for consideration of the Cleveland Museum of Art on April 26th, 2009.
  • Mann, C. Griffith. “Acquisitions 2009.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 50, no. 2 (March/April 2010): 12-27. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 14 archive.org
    Orozco, Gabriel, Briony Fer, and Museo Jumex. Gabriel Orozco : PolitéCnico Nacional. [Ciudad de México]: Fundación Jumex Arte Contemporáneo, 2025. Reproduced: p. 73
  • Gabriel Orozco: Politécnico Nacional. Museo Jumex, Mexico City, Mexico (organizer) (February 1-August 3, 2025) https://www.fundacionjumex.org/en/exposiciones/327-gabriel-orozco-politecnico-nacional.
  • {{cite web|title=Mapa estelar en árbol|url=false|author=Gabriel Orozco|year=2009|access-date=10 September 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2009.343