seres Vegetales

This proposal of a sculpture garden with plants of medicinal or nutritional importance from the Puerto Escondido area was born out my lifetime interest in nature, the biology studies I did at Columbia University and my work experience with environmental groups and NGOs in Venezuela that interlace with my artistic practice expressed mostly in the photography and sculpture, (specifically ceramics) mediums. 

It was was produced during my artist in residency at the Casa Wabi Fundacion in the Oaxaca coast in June and July 2021.

It consists of 9 sculptures of clay and steel, and it is now installed permanently at the Puerto Escondido Botanical Garden that is part of the Oaxaca University (Universidad del Mar-UMAR). A second element was the series of clay stamps I did for the children workshops at Casa Wabi with the same plant species used in the sculpture garden pieces. These stamps will be used to create utilitarian pots and imaginative sculptures at the Clay Pavilion when schools visits the foundation.   

As a research on textures and surfaces is a constant in my work, for this project I worked with seeds, fruits, leaves, branches, flowers and other plant fragments to create unique pieces. At the same time, these sculptures seek to humanise the plants by working with masks and faces to create these plant beings made of clay.

According to WWF data, "Oaxaca is the state with the highest biodiversity in Mexico. Of the 22,350 known plant species in Mexico, 8,400 are found there." This wealth is known and used by its inhabitants. One of the vegetal elements with which I worked the most was the Guajes (pods), attracted by their shapes and reliefs and they all present variations, making each one a unique vegetal sculpture. And this variety of Guajes that impacted me so much is the one that prompted the origin of Oaxaca’s name, since this word is derived from the Nahúatl language "Huaxyacac", means: "On the nose of the guajes”. This concept of a “land of Guajes” was transmitted to me by several of the local people I met during my stay there, who know, care for and are proud to share about their rich diversity.

Printing the plants shapes on the clay, which was all sourced from the natural open pit of Agua Zarca, I created the faces and body fragments that joined by the metal bases integrating into this group of sculptures. The legs or branches of these plant beings were inspired by the local mangroves of the Manialtepec and Chacagua lagoons. In this way, this entire series of sculptures was totally inspired by the local flora and with the idea that visitors to the Botanical Garden can enjoy them and stop to observe their textures and shapes and generate conversations about the properties of these plants, supported by the tour guides who take people around.

Mezclando mis estudios de Biología y experiencia de trabajo con grupos y ONGs ambientales en Venezuela y mi práctica artística la cual lleva ya 10 años dedicada a la escultura en cerámica, nace esta propuesta de un jardín de esculturas con plantas de importancia medicinal o alimenticia de la zona de Puerto Escondido.

Siendo la investigación sobre texturas y superficies una constante en mi obra, trabajé con semillas, frutos, hojas, ramas, flores y demás fragmentos vegetales para crear piezas singulares. A la vez dichas esculturas buscan humanizar las plantas al trabajar con máscaras y rostros para crear estos seres vegetales de barro.

Según datos de la WWF "Oaxaca es el estado que registra la mayor biodiversidad en México. De las 22,350 especies de plantas conocidas en México, 8,400 se encuentran ahí." Esta riqueza es conocida y utilizada por sus pobladores. Una de los elementos vegetales con los que más trabajé fueron los Guaje atraída por sus formas y relieves que aunque se repiten todos presentan variaciones haciendo de cada uno una escultura vegetal única. Y justo esta variedad de Guajes que tanto me impactó es la que de alguna forma da origen al nombre de Oaxaca ya que dicha palabra se derivada de la lengua Nahúatl "Huaxyacac", que significa: "En la nariz de los guajes”, este concepto de la “tierra de Guajes” me lo transmitieron varias de las personas que he conocido durante mi estadía acá, quienes conocen, cuidan y comparten sobre sus riquezas naturales.

Imprimiendo estas formas sobre el barro, el cual fue sacado todo de la veta natural de Agua Zarca, fui creando los rostros y fragmentos corporales que unidos por las base de metal se integran en este grupo de esculturas. Las piernas o ramas de los seres vegetales fueron inspirados por los manglares locales de las lagunas de Manialtepec y Chacagua. De esta forma toda esta serie de esculturas fue totalmente inspirada por la flora local y con la idea de que los visitantes del Jardín Botánico las puedan disfrutar y se puedan detener a observar sus texturas y formas y generar conversaciones sobre las propiedades de dichas plantas.