Mulling Things Over Uruguayan Artist Creates Bronze, Wood Pieces That Require Consideration by Heather Nalbone Cecilia Miguez never intended to be a sculptor. Instead, this native of Uruguay studied painting under some of her home countryís most acclaimed artists. ìI did a lot of everythingóballet, writing, art,î Miguez said. ìMy training was in painting, but I got tired of trying to make images in two dimensions.î So she tracked down a hammer and chisel and taught herself how to sculpt. ìSculpting is much faster and easier,î she said. ìFor me, it was a relief, like learning a language I was already familiar with. The way of thinking about pieces is nonlinear, involving other parts of your brain and your soul, memory and dreams.î A 25-piece exhibit of her bronze and wood sculptures is on display at the Uruguay Cultural Foundation for the Arts through Nov. 5. Wearing a simple but elegant brown pantsuit with matching suede pumps, a bright gold chain and meticulously applied makeup at a press opening for ìTransmigrations,î the 47-year-old artist looked more the part of Capitol Hill staffer than postmodern sculptor. And the image serves her well here: Miguezís sculptures blend into the Washington scene as well as they have in Los Angeles, where locals can view another 35-piece exhibit on display at the Louis Stern Fine Arts museum. Her figures are ill-suited for visitors too rushed to view the pieces from all angles. Be it a bishopís hat in the form of a fish or a set of undersized hands, her sculptures offer new discoveries at each glance. Itís hard to say which is more striking about her work: the androgynous overtones of an all-female cast portraying male roles or their disproportionately sized heads. The artist denies attachment to any one inspiration, although she admits that she molds most of her creations with Bach in the background. Her figures have been likened to those of well-known modern sculptors like Robert Graham and Ron Pippin, but when asked about such comparisons, Miguez just shook her head. ìI donít always know what theyíre going to look like,î she said of her sculptures. ìI work intuitively, and sometimes it takes me a while to understand or explain the pieces.î Sheís even content to sit back and listen as others attempt to explain her own art to her, as she did with recent guests at the Embassy of Uruguay. But while she feels comfortable offering her sculptures to interpretation, she does put a lot of thought into their presentation. Two of the exhibitís larger sculptures, the gold-colored ìFalse Bishop (Mother Superior)î and the black ìFlat Menina,î are intentionally placed on opposite ends of the exhibition hall as contrasting symbols of light and darkness. Light green padding helps soften the dismal overtones of a devil figure in ìJust a Matter of Time.î The embassyís gallery is the first East Coast studio to display Miguezís workóand may be the last for a while. The artist takes anywhere from six months to a few years to finish her sculptures, at times walking away from an almost completed piece until she decides on the finishing touch. The headdress of a horse in ìRider,î for example, is a dismantled camping heater she discovered years after starting the project. To color the curving vines in ìFigure with Apples,î she simply buried the 8 1/2-inch tall statue in her backyard garden for several months. The resulting tarnished leaves helped provide a sense of fertility. ìI think the important point about Ceciliaís work is her dedication to the vision of uniting objects and memories from the past to become relevant to todayís conditions and concerns of our human needs and desires,î said exhibit curator Cynthia MacMullin. ìHer assembled manifestations open a doorway to our feelings that connect us to time and placeÖ. and thus the works become personal to us.î ìTransmigrationsî runs through Nov. 5 at the Uruguay Cultural Foundation for the Arts, 1913 I St., NW. For more information, please call (202) 331-1313 or email uruwashi@uruwashi.org. Heather Nalbone is a freelance writer in Maryland.