Pa-lan-te

Miguel Luciano, Pa-lan-te, 2017, neon, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by Marianna and Juan A. Sabater, 2020.25.2, © 2017, Miguel Luciano. photo: Jason Wyche
Copied Miguel Luciano, Pa-lan-te, 2017, neon, overall: 120 × 24 in. (304.8 × 61 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by Marianna and Juan A. Sabater, 2020.25.2, © 2017, Miguel Luciano. photo: Jason Wyche

Artwork Details

Title
Pa-lan-te
Artist
Date
2017
Location
Dimensions
overall: 120 × 24 in. (304.8 × 61 cm)
Copyright
© 2017, Miguel Luciano. photo: Jason Wyche
Credit Line
Museum purchase made possible by Marianna and Juan A. Sabater
Mediums
Mediums Description
neon
Classifications
Subjects
  • Object — letter
Object Number
2020.25.2
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2020.25.2

Artwork Description

Two cherry-red Schwinn bicycles, decked out with horns and American and Puerto Rican flags, are joined to form one three-wheeled, double-headed creature.

The word pa'lante, Spanish slang meaning "forward," glows above. The term became famous as the name of a civil rights newspaper in Puerto Rico in the 1960s. In following years, it has evoked Puerto Rican independence and statehood and become a mindset of strength and resilience in the face of hurricanes and other hardships.

Paired with a bicycle that can go in two directions at once--and so goes nowhere--the word also takes on an ironic meaning. Luciano's sculpture brims with Puerto Rican pride while acknowledging the difficulties that hinder the island's forward motion.