The exhibition, Shine Heroes/Héroes del Brillo, comes out of a project Uruguayan artist, Federico Estol, started three years ago as he began engaging with the shoe shiners of Bolivia. There are 3,000 shoe shiners who go out into the streets of La Paz and El Alto suburbs each day in search of clients. They are from all ages and in recent years have become a social phenomenon in the Bolivian capital.

What characterizes this tribe is the use of ski masks so they will not be recognized by those around them. They confront the discrimination they face through these masks; in their neighborhoods no one knows that they work as shoe shiners, at school they hide this fact, and even their own families believe they have a different job when they head down to the center of the city from El Alto.

Estol will deliver an Artist Talk to the public at 6 PM on April 20.

Please register to attend. For the health and safety of the artists, Blue Sky staff, and attendees, we are limiting the number of attendees at the talk. Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis

Masks & proof of full vaccination (including booster), or recent negative COVID test required at entry to attend the talk.