Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — A new sculpture exhibition at the Galería de Arte is asking residents to do more than look at the artwork. It is inviting them to become part of it.
“Estela: Memoria, Identidad y Territorio,” a solo exhibition by sculptor Carlos Becerra Llabrés, is now open to the public following its inauguration at the Galería de Arte in Playa del Carmen. The exhibition features 38 sculptural works and centers on a larger participatory piece titled “Estela,” a 50-kilogram sculpture designed to hold the voices, faces, memories, and stories of the local community.
The project was selected as a winning proposal in PECDA Quintana Roo 2025, the state edition of Mexico’s Program for the Encouragement of Artistic Creation and Development. According to official PECDA results published by the federal Ministry of Culture, Becerra’s project “Estela” was selected in the Visual Arts category for Creators with Trajectory.
At first glance, the municipal post announcing the exhibition may be confusing. The key point is that Estela is not only an exhibition. It is also a community memory project.
Residents are being invited to send short video testimonies explaining what Playa del Carmen means to them. The videos can be sent through the artist’s social media account, @carlosbecerraescultor, or by email at estudio@carlosbecerra.com. Organizers say selected testimonies will be projected onto the monumental sculpture during the exhibition’s closing event, turning personal memories into part of the artwork itself.
Becerra has described the project as a work built from the “voices, faces and traces” of people who live in Playa del Carmen. In social media posts connected to the exhibition, the artist explains that individual experiences are transformed into sculptural reliefs, creating a collective portrait of the city.
The exhibition’s full title, “Memory, Identity and Territory,” points to the themes behind the work. Rather than presenting Playa del Carmen only as a tourist destination, the project focuses on the people who live here, the memories they carry, and the emotional connection they have with the city.
Becerra’s own website describes Estela as a monumental, interactive sculptural installation that invites dialogue between the internal and the collective. His broader artistic practice uses texture, erosion, faces, shadows, and material forms to explore how people recognize themselves in objects and spaces.
That approach is visible in this exhibition, where the city becomes both subject and material. The 38 pieces are presented as a tribute to Playa del Carmen, while the central sculpture becomes a gathering point for community voices.
The project also includes a public workshop. A free workshop will be held on Friday, July 17 at 5:00 p.m. at the Galería de Arte. The workshop is open to the community and is part of the exhibition’s effort to make the creative process more accessible to the public.
The exhibition is family-friendly and open during regular gallery hours. Visitors can see the works from Monday to Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, noon to 8:00 p.m.
For Playa del Carmen, the exhibition arrives at a time when local cultural programming is increasingly focused on identity, public participation, and the city’s transformation from a small coastal town into one of Mexico’s best-known destinations.
In that context, Estela asks a simple question with many possible answers: What does Playa del Carmen mean to the people who call it home?
Residents who want to participate can send their video testimony to @carlosbecerraescultor or estudio@carlosbecerra.com.
Exhibition: Estela: Memoria, Identidad y Territorio
Artist: Carlos Becerra Llabrés
Location: Galería de Arte, Playa del Carmen
Free workshop: Friday, July 17 | 5:00 p.m.
Gallery hours: Monday–Thursday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; Friday–Saturday, 12:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
Community participation: Send a video explaining what Playa del Carmen means to you
