‘Animal Furniture Hybrids’ are the result of carving animal parts in wood and combining them with found furniture objects.

The duck foot was created after finding the top of a bed pole; the horns are created from a broken chair leg; the duck head is not hand carved but part of an umbrella while its body is the leg of a table…

Photography: Manuel Vázquez

‘Animal Furniture Hybrids’ were showcased in my solo exhibition ‘Portraits of My Life as a Bird’, which explores the nature and aesthetics of the hybrid.

Throughout history, mythical hybrids such as the chimera were used to describe fantastic yet vulnerable power. Courtesy of rapid advances in genetic manipulation, humanity is now on the verge of holding such power. Liberated from biology and ethical oversight, ‘Portraits of My Life as a Bird’ is a playful imagining of this genetically mutated future.

Building on a rich body of illustration, Cristina has recently expanded into sculpture. Alarmed by our disposable culture, she began rescuing dumped pieces of furniture from the street. Inspired by the craftsmanship of a by-gone era, Cristina gave these found objects a simple choice:
be reborn as part of her evolutionary experiment, or be annihilated by progress. With a willing collection of subjects, she thus set to work creating this explosive homage to the power of diversity.

Text: Zoltan Csaki