A fallen tree lying on a street of the Chacarita quarter. Its bark smells like earth and dryness. The cypress and the artist. Pure matter looking to be transformed. Out of all these surprises María Emilia’s soul is filled. She sees, she acknowledges and she chooses. She knows that with hard work she may be able to get the best out of the wood, but also out of herself. This is the story of “Sight turfs”.
(Territorios de la mirada). A chunk of trunk brought back to life. Another life, the work of art. Upon a small pedestal lies an organic, rounded shape of light color wood that darkens on the inside, where it fractures and two reflective steel sheets are linked. That’s the result of a year of carving and playing with the matter, running off to a corner of the workshop to soothe anxiety, waiting for the moment the piece cries out “I’m ready”. Ready for exhibition, ready to attract the sight of a viewer, eternal demandant of meanings and relations.

An antique appliance out of order. A disassemble exercise and the premise of contemporary sculptors “nothing can be destroyed, rather only transformed” are what María Emilia puts into practice with painstaking diligence. This is the story of “The flowers from my garden” (Las flores de mi jardín). A sunflower made with the blades from a fan and other flowers made out of wire and buttons. Upon the transversal slash of a trunk an iron stem erects from which six flowers emerge, all made from different materials. Pure fun. A ludic piece to explore and to be placed at the garden, waiting for the wind to make the petals from the oil plant spin.

A trench shovel, twisted and useless and several feet of twine wrapped around steel wire. Two sculptural reliefs hanging from the wall like flowers. This is the story of “Brute flower” (Bruta flor) and “Little flower” (florcita)” A shovel that straightens its destiny and makes up with austere dignity a homage to the work of man and a little flower, subtly paired with “Brute Flower”, that flutters like a bee, keeps company and provides support with its noble and simple material to that world of efforts.

By Silvia Dick Naya. Collective exhibition alongside sculptors Alfredo Williams and Estela Garber, presented at Casa Matienzo (2012)