Muñecas by mariana monteagudo

“I aim to create a race of hybrid characters that represent combinations of different cultural manifestations, from the ancestral and mysterious to the most current and derivative of mass popular culture.  The visual aspect of the figures is ambiguous, due to the interaction between factors that simultaneously produce apprehension and pleasure.  I investigate a range of cultural references, from indigenous rituals related to death, fertility and festivities inherent to many parts of the world, juxtaposed with cultural references having to do with current popular culture influenced by the media, fashion, technology, etc.
I also want my pieces to offer duality present in the mix of elements that concurrently generate unrest and tenderness.  My purpose in mixing all these elements is to create a disconcerting image difficult to classify and always present in a liminal space, not tender or terrible, not ancient or contemporary.  The idea is that the viewer would be able to construct a sort of mental collage of associations derived from distinct territories and that he or she could feel familiar to as well as estranged by these images.”












We featured Mariana Monteagudo’s work a little while ago, but the artist has recently completed a new production of sculptures that is absolutely incredible. These dollies have faces that are so expressive that even the ones who show a sort of passivity are expressing personality. Monteagudo has also managed to capture so well the spirit of her sculptures in the photos that we think the sculpture-related photography is just as covetable as the three dimensional work.
 


http://www.flickr.com/photos/21853218@N03/
>http://www.marianamonteagudo.net/
>http://mocoloco.com/
Mariana Monteagudo's ceramic and mixed media dolls get better and better. These expressive sculptures are a mix of cultural influences that range from pre-Columbian aesthetics to Japanese manga, and occupy a special niche on the art scene. The Venezuelan artist (born en Caracas en 1976) uses a variety of materials to complete her ceramic figures: hair, fabrics, necklaces. The dolls have an air of innocent wisdom about them, often due to their all-knowing, unblinking eyes. Some appear worldly; others more naïve. How eerily exciting it would be to find oneself surrounded by Monteagudo's range of silent personalities.