Gustavo Aceves' Mutilated Horses at the Colosseum

Mexican artist Gustavo Aceves presents 'Lapidarium', a monumental installation of 40 mutilated horse sculptures, at Rome's Colosseum archaeological area, including the Arch of Constantine and Trajan's Markets, from September 16, 2016 to January 8, 2017. The works, ranging from 3 to 8 meters in height and up to 12 meters in length, are crafted from bronze, marble, wood, iron, and granite, resting on boat skeletons that evoke both Spanish galleons and a Niger indigenous canoe, symbolizing migrant boat tragedies in the Mediterranean. The project debuted in Pietrasanta in 2014 and officially opened in 2015 at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate. It is a work in progress that will travel to Istanbul, Paris, and Venice in 2017, culminating in Mexico City in 2018 with 100 total pieces. Aceves aims to create a monument to the 'vanquished', a silent space for reflection on past horrors and a warning against repetition.