Seeing Stars
Monumental new work from renowned artist gazes over San Antonio River Walk
The City of San Antonio has unveiled its latest piece of public art — a towering new sculpture that looks out over the River Walk Public Art Garden.
Stargazer (Citlali), by internationally renowned Mexican artist Pedro Reyes, features a seated woman who “holds and gazes upon a star-like object held between her fingers,” a release describes.
Inspired by San Antonio’s tricentennial, the piece “honors a collective history of looking to the stars for inspiration, guidance, and hope.”
“I wanted to offer a work that transcends the relatively recent borders and boundaries we know today to offer an ageless perspective in celebration of San Antonio’s more than 300 years of distinctive history and culture,” the artist explains. “The star could be a star like the ones that shine over San Antonio each night — the same ones that have been contemplated by all peoples throughout the region’s human history, the same ones that inspire awe and wonder as they help us glimpse our place in relation to the universe and to time.”
The monumental sculpture itself is more than 16 feet tall and is situated on a 5-foot-tall base. It is made of more than 80 pieces of Mexican volcanic stone, and the iconic star is made of marble.
Reyes’ Stargazer (Citlali) joins an impressive collection of large-scale San Antonio art by renowned Mexican artists. Just last year, San Antonio International Airport unveiled Star of Texas (La Estrella de Texas) from Mexico’s renowned Sebastian; in 2020, his 33-foot Door of Equality (La Puerta de Igualdad) was erected in the San Pedro roundabout.
“Stargazer (Citlali) is a continuation of the strong economic and cultural ties between San Antonio and Mexico represented visually through public art,” the city says.
The new piece is also part of the open-air River Walk Public Art Garden, which boasts large-scale sculptures, wall-mounted pieces, and informational displays. By the end of 2022, the garden will also be home to a plaza area dedicated to the labor movement in San Antonio.
“The installation of Stargazer continues to help redefine the River Walk experience as a global public art destination,” says Krystal Jones, interim director of the city’s Department of Arts & Culture. “Stargazer invites River Walk visitors to move around and see the piece from different angles, and in doing so, they are able to discover other public art treasures.”
