Client: Madison Museum of Contemporary Art

Overview

Metamorphosis features the Colombian-born, Miami-based artist Federico Uribe’s magical, colorful, and sculptural menagerie of animals made of everyday materials. Colorful shotgun casings and golden varying caliber bullets are brought together to form a lion; leather sneakers are arranged into a leaping puma; and an army helmet becomes a turtle’s shell. In an interview, Uribe underlines the irony inherent in his choice of materials: “People kill animals to make shoes; I make animals out of shoes.” One might then think that the artist intends to alert viewers to the senseless killing of animals. But, instead, Uribe aims to use ordinary and sometimes provocative materials to challenge associations; the goal is against the grain and utopian — or, as he says, to “make people happy” — in spite of preconceived connotations. Uribe shape-shifts feelings of sorrow, rage, and despair to create positive, immersive environments. A part of the installation is an entire Plastic Coral Reef, comprised of hundreds of pieces of plastic waste, carefully cut and arranged to raise awareness of the effects of pollution on marine ecosystems worldwide. Federico Uribe is a visionary artist creating haunting mixed-media paintings and sculptures.

Goals

The goal of the installation is - at least in my intention - to raise awareness on the need to protect the environment, which has been a constant in my work during my entire career. My art engages, surprises, and inspires my viewers and makes them reflect on environmental issues. As a recurrent intention in my work, I encourage the viewer to discover, beyond the sole function of an object, an underlying symbolic and aesthetic reality where life overcomes death and beauty supplants destruction. Humor, beauty, and love are essentially what remain the memory of the viewer. My freestanding sculptures and bas-relief paintings entirely composed of bullet shells play with juxtaposition between whimsical subject matter, animals or landscapes that are full of life, and a historically emblematic and lethal medium. Behind each bullet shell, which I buy from a metal recycling company, is a sad tale. I want to create beauty out of these accumulations of ugly stories. Whatever the interpretation of my works, my intention is to protect Nature.

Process

I have been working closely with all stakeholders involved, with on-site visits and frequent contacts with the museum staff. My team and myself cooperated under my supervision to create the final installation.

Additional Information

The exhibition has broken previous attendance records and has been extended beyond the original end date.