The number 456 refers to the number of nuclear weapons tested at the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site in Kazakhstan between 1947 and 1991. And the fact that in 1991 all records of atomic testing were destroyed as the Soviet Union collapsed. This work is part of the Art in Embassies Program and is currently on view at the US embassy in Astana, Kazakhstan.
The U.S. Department of State established the Office of Art in Embassies in 1963, adapting a public-private program that began ten years earlier by the Museum of Modern Art. The exhibitions and collections created by AIE play a vital role in our nation’s public diplomacy. The works are carefully selected to reflect the pride and innovation of America’s cultural sector and to make cross-cultural connections in the regions and states in which they are displayed.
Acrylic, steel grommets, and color printed drawings on paper collaged onto canvas, 6 feet by 4.5 feet, 2023
Ángel Rafael Vázquez-Concepción 