Tales of the Andes
The collection developed around the topic of food poverty in the Andes, highlighting different elements and traditions of the region (mostly from Peru to Chile and Argentina) and the importance of quinoa, potatoes, and maize.
Most are in private collections after being on display in the New Ashgate Gallery and Bevere Gallery (both in the UK)
Each piece is made in stoneware, decorated with natural pigments and partially glazed by using wax resistance, as well as being decorated on both sides
Alessandra Centorbi
Nottingham, England
Plate of two birds holding a flower, Claudia MilenaTwo birds hold a flower in the front, in the back we can find small flowers that populate the empty space, these being taken from the Atacama desert, the driest in the world who receives rain once a year and is similarly populated with thousands of flowers of all colours.
Mirror and Quinoa farmer vase, Claudia MilenaStoneware and transparent glaze
Ritual andino plate (back) and Q'eswachaka plate (front), Claudia MilenaThe first plate, represents and Andean ritual to honour mother earth, where it's offered coca plants, cigarrettes and a bottle of alcohol amongst other valuable items. In the plate next to it, two hands are weaving a rope to create a bridge that connects to regions of the highlands of Perú, called Q'eswachaka
Atacama spoon and Chochinilla spoon, Claudia MilenaClose up of two spoons, one showcasing a bird holding a flower from the Atacama desert. The other one in the front represents the Female cochinilla (top), the Nopal, plant where it inhabits (middle) and the fruit of the Nopal, the tuna in the bottom. In the back we can find the male cochinilla in the shape of a fly.
Potatoes, quinoa and maze (back), Claudia MilenaMain pieces of the collection, as they incorporated 3d printed handles that reflect the shapes of each vegetable. The pieces are also decorated on the front with a farmer harvesting, collecting or preparing to sow their crops.