“1856” – Charly Arias

This piece uses a Zippo lighter as a canvas — a universal symbol of ignition, action, and rebellion. The intervention is inspired by Juan Santamaría, Costa Rica’s national hero who sacrificed his life in 1856 to stop the filibuster invasion.

With a minimal silhouette and a single red flame, the piece captures the precise moment when an individual becomes a legend. It fuses national memory with global industrial design, transforming a personal object into a vessel of historical narrative.

“1856” invites us to reflect on fire — as metaphor for freedom, courage, and resistance — and how its power lives in the most intimate rituals. A contemporary tribute to a timeless act of bravery.