Camilla Alberti's MOZITA Residency in Maputo Produces 'Cacciatori di Ruggine'

Italian sculptor Camilla Alberti (born 1994, Milan) completed the first edition of MOZITA, a cultural residency in Maputo, Mozambique, promoted by the Italian Embassy to celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations. Supported by Renco S.p.A. and curated by Valentina Ciarallo, the residency aims to foster transcultural exchange. Alberti created 'Cacciatori di Ruggine' (Rust Hunters), a sculptural work housed at the Italian Ambassador's residence. The piece hybridizes techniques with artisans from ASSEMA (Associação de Escultores de Arte Makonde), using Pau Preto (ebony) and incorporating organic and industrial waste transformed into pigments and binders. The work explores a conceptual triptych: Hunting (ancestral survival), Rust (metamorphosis and resilience), and Cement (status and urban transformation). Alberti's practice, focused on deep ecology and alchemical transformation of waste, has previously taken her to the Atacama Desert in Chile (LaWayaka Current residency) and Seoul (MMCA Changdong residency). She has exhibited at Kunsthaus Graz, Triennale di Milano, and the Malta Biennale. The project was presented at Renco's headquarters in Pesaro and will have a public opening in Maputo after summer, coinciding with the launch of MOZITA's second edition.