Guantanamera celebrates a unique connection between Cuban flower bats and the plants they pollinate. Disc-shaped leaves above the flowers intensify bat sonar, making them more attractive.
Feeding primarily on the sugar-rich pollen from native plant species of the region, Cuban flower bats help promote the high degree of biodiversity found in their ecosystem. A flowering vine species called Marcgravia evenia is endemic to Cuba and relies heavily on bats for pollination, so much so that it sends out a ‘bat signal.’
This plant has evolved disc-shaped leaves that suspend above a ring of flowers, resembling a satellite dish, precisely what it does. The shape acts as a reflector for the biosonar, or echolocation, emitted by the animal. With this design, the Cuban flower bats can find the plants with greater ease and pollinate them with more frequency.
- One Earth
The painting is based on the song Guantanmera, a Cuban national anthem. The lyrics of Guantanamera are adapted from the Cuban poet José Martí's poem I am a Sincere Man. The text on the artwork contains lines from the song and the poem.
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Mi verso es de un verde claro y de un carmin encendido. |