THEY DO NOT DOMINATE US BY FORCE, THEY DOMINATE US BY DECEPTION

2014
Slumped glass
Each tile: 30 × 40 cm
Variable installation

Inspired by a quote attributed to Simón Bolívar, this installation is composed of a series of slumped glass tiles, each representing one letter from the phrase “They do not dominate us by force, they dominate us by deception.”

Using the glass slumping technique—where glass is heated until it softens and takes the shape of a mold—the work explores the tension between fragility and endurance. The transparency of the material evokes ideas of truth and illusion, while the distortions created by heat suggest how discourse and history are reshaped under pressure.

Glass, often associated with clarity and vulnerability, becomes here a medium for reflection on invisible forms of power. The fragmentation of the phrase into individual letters transforms language into structure: each tile stands alone, yet only together do they reveal meaning.

The piece offers a contemporary reading of Bolívar’s words, situating them within a landscape of transparency, manipulation, and resistance.