Around Estella, in Navarre, there is a place that challenges conventions: Parque de los Desvelados, also known as Skull Park.
This particular space presents itself as a mixture between a open-air museum and haunted sitewhich provokes different reactions among those who visit it. Its particularity lies in the way it combines art and reflection on deatha theme that the sculptor Luis Garcia Vidal approached in a bold and personal way.
Created by García Vidal in the last part of the 20th centurythe park is an artistic manifestation that seeks to explore the omnipresent presence of death in our daily lives and the idea that it is a natural continuation of existence.
The project became an extension of his personal philosophy, which is also reflected in his work. A recent chapter of a Spanish television program and a zombie movie sequence shot in the park highlighted its unique appeal and unique atmosphere.
The park is located in the square of San Lorenzoapproximately 1.8 kilometers from urban center of Estella. Accessible by a forest track which leads to the ruins of the hermitage of San Lorenzo, The park is fenced but its gate remains open at the express wish of the park itself. Garcia Vidalwho always wanted his work to be accessible to the public.
Despite acts of vandalism and the wear and tear suffered by certain sculptures, which have sometimes collapsed under the weight of visitors, the place continues to be a space of free access.
He Park of the Unveiled He is known for his imposing skulls made from the pruning remains of sumac, a characteristic shrub of Tierra Estella known for the reddish color of its leaves in autumn. These figures, who were originally standing, are now mostly lying down, which reflection of the fragility of materials and the varying respect of visitors. Among the sculptures are also two crushed cars, one of which bears the inscription: “Death loves cars.”
Luis Garcia Vidal, originally from Melillaarrived in Estella in 1971, driven by love, after living in Malaga, Madrid and Tenerife. His artistic career began in Brazil, where he won sculpture prizes, and his dream of going to Paris was completed by his meeting with Carmen Eguaras, a woman from Estellesa with whom he married and settled in the city of ‘Ega.
Therefore, Garcia Vidal He devoted himself fully to his most ambitious project: Parque de los Desvelados, which initially featured skulls and later incorporated other elements such as wrecked cars and broken baby seats.
The death of his brother Alberto had a profound impact on the artist, who dedicated one of the park’s sculptures to his memory, with a sign that reads: “I dedicate this sculpture to my brother Alberto, died at the age of 59. He lived like the artist he was and embraced death with courage and dignity by having to live as a human wreck. 1991.”
Luis García Vidal died in 2008 under mysterious circumstances. with his body found in the Ega river. His legacy, encapsulated in the Parque de los Desvelados, remains a striking testament to his artistic vision and deep reflection on life and death.
