Hidrante is pleased to present El astrolabio del guabairo, a solo exhibition by Javier Orfón. The exhibition will be on view from November 14, 2025, to January 9, 2026.

The Guánica dry forest, situated in the southwest of Puerto Rican southwest, is one of the rarest and best-preserved subtropical ecosystems of its kind and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the few regions in Puerto Rico with minimal light pollution. It is home to one of the most enigmatic and elusive birds on the island, the guabairo de Puerto Rico (Antrostomus noctitherus), also known as the Puerto Rican Nightjar in English. Endemic to the southwest of the island, this nocturnal bird has captured the attention of ornithologists and conservationists alike due to its rarity, its hypnotic song, and its struggle to survive in an increasingly fragmented habitat.

For his second solo exhibition at Hidrante, Javier Orfón has been interacting with the Guanica Dry Forest, walking along its paths during both day and night, considering how to poetically present the geography of the place, its life, and also the nocturnal sky. During this period of immersion, he used a telescope to capture images of the celestial vault, while also producing images of materials such as the bark of the "guayacán centenario", thought to be between 700 to 1000 years old, found conchs, drawings inspired by the resonance of the nightjar's song, and a concrete poem that I designed with the shape of the melon cactus (melocactus intortus), inspired by my observations and experiences in the natural reserve.