La Pan[z]a del público is a public sculpture I created in Los Angeles State Historic Park in collaboration with Clock Shop LA and with programming by Oxy Arts.

Due to nearly a year-long delay caused by COVID, I reimagined the piece to incorporate a functional wood-fired oven inspired by the ovens my father used to make as a child in El Salvador. This oven is intended for cooking and community events, drawing inspiration from artists and activists who have used their platforms for mutual aid—much like during the Salvadoran Civil War.

The sculpture is covered in 800 glazed ceramic thorns, modeled after those of the Ceiba tree, which I crafted in my backyard ceramics studio. I wanted to recontextualize the bricks of the nearby Zanja Madre, which once facilitated water theft and settlement, into symbols of protection and spirituality, referencing the Ceiba tree's significance to Central American immigrants. The bricks in the oven’s dome and floor now serve to nourish, both spiritually and physically.

My research for this project led me to uncover Central American immigrant communities' profound history of using food and art to support themselves. They sold their creations in public parks to fund resource centers and sent money for medication and ammunition during the Salvadoran Civil War. As part of the sculpture’s installation, I wanted to burn copies of documents from the 1980s and 1990s inside the oven as a way for the sculpture to learn its history. Through this act, the burning of documents, becomes a way of teaching rather than erasing memory.

Wood-fired ovens exist around the world, and this park reflects the rich cultural diversity of Los Angeles. We are hosting chefs and artists from various backgrounds to hold public events using the oven. You can register for these events through the link in my bio.

Recently, someone wrote “Tongva Land 1492—Indigenous innovation, Maya, Lakota” on the sculpture's oven door. I left it as a reminder that we are on Tongva land.

• Eddie Rodolfo Aparicio