Sculptor proposes deconstructing the anthropocentric vision of art

The transformation of matter and hybridization between species are concepts that the Italian sculptor Camilla Alberti (Milan, 1994) uses in her work. The piece that she produced thanks to a two-month residency at the Casa del Lago started from the shape of a jaguar to become something similar to a “monster”, that is, “out of control”, in the words of the artist. In fact, his sculptures have a life beyond their domains. There is dialogue without restrictions.

Graduated Cranegrurathe 1.50 meter long and 1.10 meter high sculpture will be displayed outside the Lake House, in a structure known as the “pergola”, exposed to the inclemency of the weather – the sun, the rain – so it will experience a physical transformation from a vigorous body of muscles and veins to remaining bare bones while the materials deteriorate, like an archaeological remains.

Alberti’s stay was derived from the award he obtained in the second edition of the Natura Naturans/Naturata Award, which was convened in May 2025 by the Italian Ministry of Culture, the Italian Institute of Culture of Mexico City and Casa del Lago, which promote an exchange program for artists from both countries.

When Alberti travels to a place, the first thing he does is study the ancient techniques, rituals and mythology of his culture, in order to propose a dialogue with all of that. In Mexico, she carried out research with the National Autonomous University of Mexico, in particular with the neuroscientist Francisco Fernández de Miguel, who inspired her regarding certain mixtures used by ancient settlers, related to glue made from cactus slime, lime and tree resin that when mixed create a compound that was used to cover pyramids and other architectural pieces. The sculptor undertook a study to see how she could reproduce this technique in her work, but in a different way, even adding henequen fiber to stabilize the surface.

Hybridization of species

From the beginning the figure of the jaguar caught his attention. When visiting the National Museum of Anthropology, he realized its qualities as a sacred, as well as liminal, animal: “a protector whom you have to sacrifice by cutting off its head in order to obtain a great favor from God. That inspired me to put together a structure that started from this headless hunting jaguar.”

Although that is the basis, remember that his work revolves around the concept of interrelation or hybridization of species, as well as the idea that the body, more than individual, is an ecosystem. “In biology we are made of different organisms, so we are an entity, but based on plurality. When we refer to an interrelation between different species, we also talk about our body. I can say: ‘I am me’; However, I am made of this interaction with other things. When I build a new sculpture I start from these concepts. I don’t intend to create a body that people can recognize, but rather to remind them of a shape that they can’t name.

“In my work I try to deconstruct the anthropocentric view of art, in the sense that it is a creator of something. For me, art is more related to harmonizing. Someone who knows about energy – the material – and has the power to harmonize these elements in a single piece. One does not create something, one just collaborates and uses the material that is already in this work to change the shape and do something else.”

The structure of Cranegrura It is made of stainless steel in the manner of a skeleton, which is then covered with a galvanized iron mesh that allows it to have a surface to cover. He worked in layers. The main color is black because his studio is this color and because, in addition, Alberti fell in love with the volcanic stone and the black clay of Oaxaca, a tone that predominates in the cosmogony of Mictlán.

Apart from sculpture, Alberti works with computerized embroidery, that is, done with a machine. This is because her studio in Italy is located inside an embroidery factory that belongs to her family, so she grew up listening to the sound of machines.

Although he began painting in a classical figurative way, he suddenly felt “a call from ruined places”, places in which “humans are no longer part of the relationship because they abandoned them. A house where plants begin to invade and refigure the structure and create a new ecosystem around it.”

Alberti feels a predilection for Leonardo da Vinci for being an artist who mixed different fields, although she feels close to hybrid figures. “Maybe hybridization is part of me, not so much other artists,” he reflects.

The sculpture Cranegrura It will be presented on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at the Casa del Lago, First Section of the Chapultepec Forest.