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BY SERGIO CUEVAS

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In 1974, Sergio Cuevas was invited to Cork as part of a groundbreaking international symposium. His mission was to create a work in situ—on-site—using local materials. The result was this unnamed, organic limestone piece, officially titled Abstract Sculpture (1974).

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The Misnamed Limestone: Solving a Fitzgerald Park Mystery

Art, much like the Irish weather, can sometimes be a little grey and confusing. For a long time, I was under the impression that the organic, flowing limestone sculpture in Fitzgerald Park was Cois na Laoi by the renowned Séamus Murphy. It made sense; the piece feels as though it was smoothed by the River Lee itself.

However, a closer look at the archives and the physical plaques reveals a much more complex—and international—story. It turns out this piece is actually a relic of the 1974 Cork Sculpture Symposium, and its creator wasn't a local, but a Mexican master of stone.

The True Artist: Sergio Cuevas

In 1974, Sergio Cuevas was invited to Cork as part of a groundbreaking international symposium. His mission was to create a work in situ—on-site—using local materials. The result was this unnamed, organic limestone piece, officially titled Abstract Sculpture (1974).

Style and Substance: Biomorphic Abstraction

Cuevas was a practitioner of "biomorphic abstraction." This style involves taking rigid, heavy materials like limestone and coaxing them into shapes that mimic nature—think of sun-bleached bones or pebbles polished by centuries of river currents.

It is easy to see why many mistake it for a Murphy; both artists possessed a deep reverence for the "soul" of the stone, preferring to let the natural grain and weight of the limestone dictate the final form.

Unravelling the "Cois na Laoi" Confusion

So, how did the names get so mixed up? The confusion stems from a geographical and temporal overlap:

• 1974: Sergio Cuevas carves his stone Abstract Sculpture.

• 1994: Two decades later, American artist Betty Gold installs a geometric, industrial piece of white pillars. She titles her work Cois na Laoi (Beside the Lee).

The mix-up likely occurred during a period of park maintenance or plaque replacement. Because Gold’s work is sharp and modern, many observers felt the title Beside the Lee sat uncomfortably with her industrial pillars. Conversely, Cuevas’s stone looked perfectly at home "beside the Lee," leading the public (and even some records) to swap the identities of the two pieces.

The Verdict

The next time you wander through Fitzgerald Park, take a moment to appreciate the "quiet" piece. It isn't a Murphy, and it isn't Cois na Laoi. It is a piece of Mexico in the heart of Cork—a testament to Sergio Cuevas’s ability to make Irish stone breathe.

Quick Reference:

• The Stone Piece: Sergio Cuevas (1974) – Abstract Sculpture

• The White Pillars: Betty Gold (1994) – Cois na Laoi

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