A multisensory installation reflecting on identity, culture, and territory. It represents the current state of an ongoing artistic investigation that has evolved over the past five years, expanding its scope with each iteration. The project begins by examining plants that are significant to Ecuadorian cultural identity, such as corn, sweet potatoes, naranjilla, and coffee, as central elements of exploration.

First exhibited in 2018 as part of Accidentes Geográficos at Museo La Neomudéjar in Madrid, El Huesped has since been featured in the 2022 exhibition Un Jardín Nuestro at Galería Arte Actual during the Bienal de Cuenca and later that year at the Museo del Cacao in Guayaquil.

The work originated as a reflection on Ecuador’s participation in the 1939–40 World’s Fair in New York, a moment emblematic of the rise of a national identity shaped by 20th-century neocolonial expansion. The raw materials displayed, the exhibition’s design, and a mural created by Ecuadorian artist Camilo Egas for the Fair served as starting points to imagine alternative relationships beyond extractive dynamics, treating these plants as entities that influence physical, mental, and spiritual systems. Observing audience interactions in subsequent exhibitions revealed that the conceptual axis of the work lies in the communal sharing of fermented plant-based beverages, which acts as a threshold for deeper participation and conversation.