BALÚM

ARTISTIC CONTRIBUTORS

WATCH VIDEO

We burst into the world with a cry. The cry lets our loved ones know that the air has made it to our lungs. For the rest of our lives, we share that air with others. Lovers exchange tender secrets between locked lips. Champion divers plumb the darkest oceans without the aid of supplemental oxygen, gasping with victory when they break the water’s surface. A whispered rumor gathers speed and stirs up discord among friends, families, strangers, groups, countries, the world. We barricade our mouths and noses against the hostilities of illness and, in moments of greatness, use these same parts of us to save lives.

Omar Román de Jesús’ Balúm pays homage to this infinite loop of air exchange between people, objects, and places in moments both simple and large. Guided by the central figure of memory, Balúm situates air as an ever present but stealthy boss – one who orchestrates our excellence, reminds us of our fallibility, and, ultimately, hands us both the start and end of our time on Earth.