Federico Uribe Animals and Friends

My name is Federico Uribe and I am a Colombian-American artist who lives and works in Miami. My artwork resists classification. I transform objects from their original, utilitarian tasks and repurpose them into beautiful artworks. I use unconventional materials: bullet shells, cut up pieces of color pencils, neckties, books, plastic and garden tools, just to name a few. By connecting objects in such fresh ways, I reflect on Nature’s pivotal presence and in the process, I go full circle and give back to Nature what was taken from her: as trees are turned into books, I turn books into trees, leather shoes into animals, while the use of bullets and cartridges to bring a fox or a rabbit back to life might illustrate dramatically the brutal annihilation of wildlife all around our planet. I make art which engages my viewers. Whatever their interpretation of my works, I want the imagery of my experience to resonate with them. To some of my visitors, the bullet animals are a reminder of the horrors of war, to others, the exhibit is about hunting, and for environmentally conscious gallery visitors, it’s a statement about defending endangered species. Whatever their interpretation, I am pleased that my art is speaking to so many people. At the end, humor, beauty and love are essentially what remain the memory of the viewer.

The project “No Vacancy” gives me the opportunity to create in the city which has adopted me, an unforgettable and unique experience for people of all ages. An experience which will question the viewers’ perception of the world and the objects surrounding them for good and which will also have an ecological narrative. My initial idea is to display interior ad-hoc free-standing life-size sculptures of animals made of various materials, including bullet shells and colored pencils or books. I can also provide with outdoor sculptures (e.g. a giant fly made of boat parts) or plants made of gardening tools. I can also think about hanging installations, including a flock of birds made of cloth hangers.

 I am familiar with Miami Beach’s environmental and sustainability efforts and I am aware that proposals contrary to City’s initiatives in terms of materials used, will not be considered. Nevertheless, plastic pollution has inspired me to produce a coral reef installation entirely made of plastic waste collected through friends, with portions of it currently being exhibited in various museums across the country. The artwork – which bursts with colors and transports the viewer under water into a tropical oasis – confronts the viewer with a vibrant underwater world that reminds us of the fragility of life. The artwork creates momentum and awareness on plastic pollution worldwide and is also inherently tied to Miami’s geographic location and the challenges that this city is facing and will face in the future. For this reason, I have decided to include this artwork in my proposals. Should it not be considered in line with the project’s guidelines, I will limit my proposal to other artworks.