MUSA Museo Subacuático de Arte

In 2009 a monumental underwater museum called MUSA (Museo Subacuático de Arte) was formed in the waters surrounding Cancun, Isla Mujeres and Punta Nizuc. The project founded by Jaime Gonzalez Cano of The National Marine Park, Roberto Diaz of The Cancun Nautical Association and Jason deCaires Taylor consists of over 450 permanent life-size sculptures and is one of the largest and most ambitious underwater artificial art attractions in the world.

The Museum aiming to demonstrate the interaction between art and environmental science forms a complex reef structure for marine life to colonise, inhabit and increase biomass on a grand scale. Each of the sculptures is made from specialized materials used to promote coral life, with the total installations occupying an area of over 420sq metres of barren seabed and weighing over 200 tons. The Cancun Marine Park is one of the most visited stretches of water in the world with over 750,000 visitors each year, placing immense pressure on its resources. The location of the sculptures promotes the recovery of the natural reefs at it relieves pressure on them by drawing visitors away.

The Museum is divided into two galleries called Salon Manchones and Salon Nizuc. The first is eight meters deep and suitable for both divers and snorkelers and the second four meters deep and only permitted for snorkeling.

Installations by Jason deCaires in the MUSA collection include:

Salon Punta Nizuc
Depth 4m

• Paloma Angel 2012
  by Jason deCaires Taylor
• The Last Supper 2012
  by Jason deCaires Taylor
• The Listener 2012
  by Jason deCaires Taylor
• Holy Man 2011
  by Jason deCaires Taylor
• Time Bomb (fuse) 2011
  by Jason deCaires Taylor
• Time Bomb (mine) 2011
  by Jason deCaires Taylor
• Void 2011
  by Jason deCaires Taylor
• Inertia 2011
  by Jason deCaires Taylor
• Inheritance 2011
  by Jason deCaires Taylor
• The Gardener of Hope 2009
  by Jason deCaires Taylor

Salon Manchones
Depth 6-9m

• The Banker 2011
  by Jason deCaires Taylor
• Anthropocene 2011
  by Jason deCaires Taylor
• The Silent Evolution 2010 (400 figurative pieces)
  by Jason deCaires Taylor
• Man on Fire 2009
  by Jason deCaires Taylor
• The Dream Collector 2009
  by Jason deCaires Taylor

See map of the location >