Cristina Bordin

My professional path began in close relationship to the built world-working with construction, design, and systems that translated ideas into physical form. These early experiences cultivated a sensitivity to materials, structure, and process, as well as a disciplined way of thinking that remains embedded in my practice. 

Over time, my focus widened beyond the tangible into questions of culture, place, and exchange. Immersion in the academic environment deepened my awareness of context and narrative, reshaping how I understood meaning and form. The urge to make art was overwhelming: that's when I began taking art classes while working a full-time job in academia. 

Recognition through student art exhibitions affirmed this shift, marking the moment when creative practice moved from the periphery to the center. Becoming an interior designer was the way I was able to combine all my skills and explore my artistic awakening in full. Today, my studio practice draws from every phase of this trajectory. 

My work reflects both anxiety and optimism about the changes our natural world is undergoing, particularly those driven by human development. Born and raised in Brazil, the natural environment has profoundly shaped my formation. I was surrounded by nature and raised to understand and appreciate it - a connection that I carry into my practice until today. Drawing on abstract references to organisms, I create forms that echo the complexity and resilience of life. Working with clay allows me to engage both physically and conceptually with the materiality of the earth, grounding my process in a direct relationship to the land. 

Through organic forms and textured compositions, I imagine a world where nature adapts, evolves, and survives degradation through metamorphosis. Growing up in a country where the economy is unstable and violence is a daily threat instilled in me the need to to adjust and adapt to survive. The ambiguous, futuristic shapes embody my conflicting emotions about what lies ahead-questioning whether nature will prevail and transform into new, yet-unimagined life forms. Through this shared material language, I participate in an ongoing lineage, building on inherited knowledge while responding to the environmental changes that shape our future.