My practice centers around objects that have fallen away from their original use and tumbled into unique and vibrant existences. At EBF I’m starting a series of collages and reliefs in plaster that focus on these objects that have so struck me and evoke a sense of otherworldliness, awe, and curiosity towards things that might otherwise be overlooked. The objects that land on the touch table in my studio are collected through a process of receptive observation while on daily walking along roads and beaches both here and in New York. The use of discarded organic and inorganic materials engages the tension between the short-sightedness of human actions and the longevity of their impacts. My process harnesses the skills and attention to detail I honed as a craftsperson to pursue my curiosity about the depth of material and a desire to get to know each “thing” through my hands and body. This processing also forces reflection on the contradictions inherent in my practice: the contrivance of trying to impart an object with agency through my hand when it already possesses it itself; finding beauty in the desperate material futures the sculptures illustrate; and recognizing that I am also implicated in the blindness to the consequences of human action.
Website : https://juanmanuelpinzon.com/about