Claudio Cretti's Hybrid Sculptures and Drawings at Galeria Marilia Razuk

Claudio Cretti presents his series 'Quimeras' at Galeria Marilia Razuk in São Paulo, curated by Tadeu Chiarelli. The exhibition, running from May 2 to June 1, features eleven hybrid sculptures constructed from an improbable mix of materials including indigenous craft objects, musical instrument parts, industrial rubbers, and metals. These works, which began as a personal collection around 2014, evolved into sculptures that engage with broader cultural and social issues, such as indigenous causes and spaces of oppression. Cretti describes them as 'monster things' that gain an almost performative character. Alongside the sculptures are twenty drawings from the 'Kaaysá' series, created during a 20-day artistic residency near the Guarani indigenous community in Boiçucanga, on the northern coast of São Paulo. These drawings, made with watercolors and pencils, are non-figurative yet evoke the humid, mysterious atmosphere of the Atlantic Forest location. While they sometimes resemble project sketches for the sculptures, Cretti clarifies they are not direct plans. The artist emphasizes his continued concern with formalization and construction, ensuring the objects converse with each other beyond their symbolic meanings. The sculptures, which may recall plants or animals without being literal representations, explore how distinct universes can coexist non-oppressively, reflecting contemporary indigenous realities in Brazil.