MALEGRIA: Breath Amid the Depth at the Jerusalem Biennale
Malegría, fuses mal (pain) and alegría (joy), naming a universal paradox of the human experience.
Through a multidisciplinary blend of textiles, soundscapes, and pebble sculptures, the work creates a sacred yet open-ended environment for reflection.
Creator: Sandra Mayo; Curator: Laura Mandel; Participating Artists: Orit Kama, Yuval Gur, Tutti Druyan, and Sandra Mayo
This site-specific immersive installation inhabits the chiaroscuro of the present, where light and shadow, sorrow and joy, coexist.
The Biennale honors the city's unique history and cultural richness through compelling contemporary exhibitions, welcoming 30.000 to 50.000 visitors.
Malegría in process: Sketch with vessels
Malegría invites presence, movement, and collective breath. It serves as a vehicle for dialogue and empathy, holding personal and collective grief without resolution, and standing as a testament to resilience in the face of life's complexities.
Trying out combinations of textiles at the studio Below mounting demo with Yuval Gur, Tutti Druyan and helper Yael Shapiro
The Jerusalem Biennale, The Profundis
We Wish You Were Here
We Wish You Were Here
Stones of loss, flowers of life—an installation of memory, color, and enduring human essence.
WIZO Asunción, Paraguay 2024
Two to Flower/Floreciendo de a dos
In 2023, with support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Mayo installed Two to Flower at the Lexington Community Farm. Through tours and workshops with Arlington High School Spanish classes, she connected her journey as a South American immigrant with themes of cultural exchange and community learning.
En 2023, con el apoyo del Massachusetts Cultural Council, Mayo instaló Two to Flower en Lexington Community Farm. A través de recorridos y talleres con las clases de español de Arlington High School, Sandra conectó su experiencia como inmigrante sudamericana con temas de intercambio cultural y aprendizaje comunitario.
Learn about the creative process.
Download Artist Statement
Download Community Activity/Actividad Comunitaria
Brandeis University
Artist Sandra Mayo brings participatory installation to the launching of JOTA, Brandeis University initiative on academic research and cultural programs on the Jews of the Americas. Participants reflected on the meaning of diaspora, family trajectories and push and pull reasons for migration.
Kwibuka 29, Remember, Unite, Renew
In April 1994, a genocide against the Tutsi erupted in Rwanda, with neighbor turning on neighbor, family turning on family. At the 29th Rwandan’s genocide memorial day commemoration in Massachusetts, I presented a participatory art installation and invited the Rwandan community to share the names and love messages of lost brothers and sisters.
Tangram, fragments of current times
We have been in crisis mode for the past 2 years. Collectively we shared a tremendous amount of grief, loss and stress stemming from the pandemic, racial and political tension and more. We have been exhausted by anxiety, depression, illness and isolation. To move forward together, we must understand what has happened to us and begin to heal. This participatory installation, is allowing us to do just that!
Mass-Art Art Education students visiting and working in my studio as part of their curricula
