Federico Uribe: Metamorphosis | Metamorfosis

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.

Image: Federico Uribe, Panda Bear, 2018. Bullet Shells, 60 x 52 x 48 inches. Courtesy of the Artist.