Che Guevara’s Watch

Before his death, Che Guevara exclaimed, “Shoot, coward, you are only going to kill a man.” These words were intended to imply that his ideals would live on. The reality of what lived on after his death is slightly different, however. The collective imagination of mankind has turned Che into an icon encompassing a vast array of meanings. Some see him as a messiah; others view him as the devil. His image conjures the essence of communism for some and for others it translates into actual dollars from tee shirts sold. “Che Guevara’s Watch” examines these mythologies from the perspective of one moment: the moment of his death. Before it, he was a man.

Exact replica of the mahogany box that houses Che Guevara’s bones. Functioning wooden clock gears. Brass replica of Che Guevara’s Rolex GMT Master. 10 pieces of glass with Guevara rib portrait/diagram of where he was shot. In the backbone, the names of all the people he is known to have killed or ordered killed are written. Modified Vitruvian man. Created by NFN Kalyan, an Indian-American artist based in Miami.