Nohra Haime Gallery

NEW YORK - The Nohra Haime Gallery is pleased to present Sculptures and Maquettes for Monumental Sculptures, a solo exhibition by Colombian artist Ricardo Cárdenas, and his first with the gallery. On view from September 4 to October 11, 2025, the exhibition showcases 17 works, ranging from sculptural maquettes to large-scale installations, highlighting the artist’s innovative approach at the intersection of art, architecture, and environmental activism. Cárdenas, who holds degrees in both Civil Engineering and Fine Arts, brings a technical and conceptual depth to his sculpture. His work is influenced by his background in materials science and metallurgical engineering, resulting in pieces that are structurally refined while engaging with global ecological concerns, particularly the deforestation of the Amazon and the fragility of natural systems. At the heart of his practice is the transformation of satellite imagery into sculptural forms. Geographic coordinates taken from threatened regions, such as Chiribiquete National Park in Colombia, are translated into aluminum frameworks that reflect the visible scars of ecological destruction. Often rendered in striking whites and yellows, these works offer a visual record of absence: forest loss, fragmented ecosystems, and disappearing biodiversity. But Cárdenas’ work is also a call to action. Several pieces invite direct interaction, such as a sculptural “mangrove” that viewers can physically alter by rearranging vertical rods. This participatory element emphasizes the dual human role in both environmental degradation and potential restoration. The exhibition also includes a series of “cloud” and “nest” sculptures. Crafted from steel and recycled plastics, these poetic forms symbolize disrupted water cycles and the resilience found in natural structures. While the clouds appear fragile, they carry immense symbolic weight; the nests, composed of linear steel forms, reflect the architectural ingenuity of birds, structures built from materials that seem insignificant on their own, yet become strong through arrangement. Other highlights include metal platform sculptures that reference the brushwork of Van Gogh and evoke seasonal rainfall, as well as vertical columns in red, white, and yellow that nod to Latin American modernist sculpture, notably the work of Mateo Manaure. Throughout the show, Cárdenas integrates materials such as aluminum, steel, hemp, recycled wood, and plastics, selected not only for their structural properties but also for their cultural and political significance. His use of hemp, for example, comments on the ecological consequences of industrial cannabis cultivation in the Amazon basin. This exhibition affirms Nohra Haime Gallery’s ongoing commitment to presenting international voices that speak meaningfully to our time. With Sculptures and Maquettes for Monumental Sculptures, Ricardo Cárdenas offers an urgent yet hopeful vision, where form becomes narrative, and data becomes emotion.