‘Birds of the World in the Skies Over Alcorcón’ in Alcorcón, Spain

All Spain Alcorcón ‘Birds of the World in the Skies Over Alcorcón’ The most emblematic piece by a Peruvian master of pop art ended up placed in a modest square in Alcorcón. Birds of the World in the skies over Alcorcón Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User Birds of the World in the skies over Alcorcón Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User Look up in Alcorcón and you might spot a flock of birds frozen forever in flight. They won’t migrate, sing, or flap their wings, but these colorful creatures have an important story to tell.

Birds of the World in the Skies Over Alcorcón, created in 2009 by Peruvian artist Luis Arias Vera, fills Plaza de la Hispanidad with an exuberant celebration of flight and the natural world. Arias Vera saw birds as masters of something humans have spent centuries trying to imitate. Their effortless flight inspired our own attempts to conquer the skies, while their synchronized migrations transform the heavens into ever-changing aerial choreography.

Their songs and spectacular plumage provide further reminders of nature’s creativity—and of how much of it can be overlooked amid Alcorcón’s apartment blocks and busy streets. The sculpture also reflects Arias Vera’s Peruvian heritage and his playful Pop Art sensibility, creating a curious meeting of Andean imagery and modern urban art. Its flock may be permanently grounded, but its message is anything but: we share this planet with other living creatures, and sometimes all it takes is a glance upward to remember it.

Get more unusual and extraordinary places each week with the Atlas Obscura Places newsletter. Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. The easiest way to reach the statue is to take Metro Line 12 (MetroSur) to Parque de Lisboa and walk for about ten minutes, or take the Cercanías train to Alcorcón Central and walk for around seven minutes.

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