In "Untitled I," José Sierra brings the botanical exuberance of his outdoor performances into the controlled space of the photography studio. The work presents a partial male nude where the body engages directly with the industrial and artificial texture of a large, crumpled red plastic sheet that envelops it. Crowned with leaves and dried fruit, the subject holds a pot of Calathea makoyana, establishing a tension between the care for the living, the weight of contemporary synthetic materials, and the classicism of the pose. Sierra deconstructs the genres of still life and classical portraiture to reflect on uprooting, survival, and the yearning for nature in a technologically advanced world.
This work is the result of an artistic residence outside his "study”.The artist worked on a different ecosystem, a house of vernacular architecture built in 1913 in the department of Huila, Colombia. It is important to highlight the practice session of watching over and recording each detail of this space to get a correct reading between the aesthetics of the place and the body.
Biological fragility photography exploring a striking studio that merges the male nude, red plastic, and tropical botany. Available at The Art Design Project, Miami Beach.
