The Story Behind the $CRAP$ Shrine

THIS SUMMER, the high desert near Taos got a little quirkier with the appearance of the $CRAP$ Shrine. Inspired by roadside Greek chapels, artist Tony Stamolis constructed the small concrete-and-adobe building with help from local builders Ronald Sciarrillo and Naomi Koster. The moundlike building, which resembles a Buddhist stupa, features dozens of spray-painted gold concrete idols and walls made of glass bottles that catch the desert light in a stained-glass effect. “It looks like a little German chocolate cake,” Stamolis says. Part of a larger multimedia project, the $CRAP$ Shrine is more than just a roadside curiosity. For Stamolis, a self-proclaimed hermit, the shrine is a personal sanctuary where individuals can connect with the land in a peaceful setting. “When I moved out here a year and half ago, my first thought was that this landscape is crying out for some sort of sacred structure,” the Fresno, California, native says. He also leans into its offbeat artistry and ambiguous spiritually. “My friends and I use it in photo shoots where we have this sort of occult aesthetic,” he says. Stamolis hopes to turn the project into a show and a book. In the meantime, the shrine stands as a creative testament to the region’s raw beauty.

Read more: Stranded near the U.S.-Mexico border in 2014, sculptor Taras Mychalewych created the Frontera Sculpture Oasis, a colorful desert garden honoring Mother Earth and all mothers.