“Gesturally, Omar convolutely contort, incise, carve, articulates, dazzle further than the perceived materials in his work. Narratively, infusing them with the Maya flower (naab) iconography and cultural migrative thinking.

As part of the end of his residency at the Villa Belleville in Paris, Omar’s sculptural practice embodies a transgenerational historical and personal heritage, revisiting ancestral techniques. Upon entering the studio, which has been transformed into an exhibition space, visitors have to wander through the verdant vegetation that invades the entrance to discover the installation “Naab Balam - Nikteo’o”, immersed in a glowing red light. The contrast between this wild, natural outdoor environment and the artist’s impressive in situ presentation allows us to immerse ourselves for the first time in the centre of his work, and to perceive it in its wholeness.

The ensemble of the installation is displayed in three parts, with the main iron structure surrounded by earth, creating a single, linear path to the central stone sculpture. The shape is a reference to the artist’s beloved bird, named Pedro. [...]

Given its approach to height, the freedom of its forms and its intimate cage-like structure, I inevitably remembered the installations and sculptural works of Louise Bourgeois. Questioning space in relation to the body and the place given to the emotional and psychological state. They both also share the same artistic vision of being deeply involved psychologically and physically in their work. [...]”.