Los Angeles-based artist, Roberto Benavidez cuts skinny, triangular strips of material that he attaches to paper mache forms in the shape of birds, hybrid animals, and otherworldly creatures. Inspired by 16th-century paintings and multicultural art, these stunning piñatas are too beautiful to be broken.
Piñatas? Why piñatas? According to Benavidez “Looking for a more accessible medium than bronze casting, I was attracted to the piñata technique’s use of inexpensive materials (balloons, paper and glue) and was equally inspired by the piñata’s rich history. Thinking about my own mixed-race background and the multicultural path of the piñata – traveling from China, to Italy and ultimately to the New World where it was melded with a similar Mesoamerican cultural tradition resulting is the piñata we know today. I began to play visually with the concept of mixing, at times hybridizing, two motifs: western art and the Mexican piñata craft form.”
It would be easy to overlook some of Roberto’s work. The subject matter and the materials combined suggest crafts rather than arts. But his works go much deeper than that. His metallic works often address questions of identity, particularly considerations of gender and sexuality through the lens of his layered forms.
Benavidez’s fantastical sculptures have been featured in national, international and on-line publications. Follow news about upcoming opportunities to see his sculptures in person on Instagram. [h/t: thisiscolossal]
Photo belogns to Roberto Benavidez
Photo belogns to Roberto Benavidez
Photo belogns to Roberto Benavidez
Photo belogns to Roberto Benavidez
Photo belogns to Roberto Benavidez