In Piñata Party, breaking the piñata becomes a symbolic act of breaking apart the flag and the power it represents. The flag, a marker of territory and national belonging, is transformed from an untouchable emblem into an object that participants can collectively dismantle and reimagine. Rooted in vernacular tradition, this rupture becomes a communal celebration. As participants carry the piñatas in procession, break them open, and share their contents, the nation-state’s claim to authority gives way to a temporary form of togetherness grounded in participation and exchange. The work draws on festive ritual as a political language, imagining belonging beyond borders through the shared act of making community.
Presented by Monument Lab, Governors Island Arts, and LA ESCUELA___ in celebration of Braceli’s permanent public artwork, The Flag; commissioned through NYC Percent for Art by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs..
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Acknowledgments:
Niceli Portugal
Gabriela Alvarez
Oscar Caballero
Emma Sumrow
Arinjoy Sen
Columbia GSAPP
First Panamanian Marching Band of Brooklyn
Documentation:
Eduardo Fermin
Dina Paola Rodriguez
Gideon Berger