Isabelle Albuquerque is a sculptor who explores the complex interplay of intrapersonal communion, collective identity, transhumanism, plurality, love, loss, memory, and desire. Her work is both formally powerful and psychologically charged, inviting diverse interpretations. Drawing on her background in performance, Albuquerque uses her own body to investigate the fluid nature of identity, crafting cross-temporal conversations that highlight women's experiences and their deep connections to desire, sexuality, and embodiment.
In her life-size sculptures, Albuquerque deftly explores dynamic transformations and mythological legacies through a diverse array of materials. Her work intertwines personal narratives with broader socio-political themes, creating tactile narratives that resonate deeply. By seamlessly blending ancient craftsmanship with modern technologies like 3D scanning and robotic carving, she imbues each material—bronze, wood, plaster, rubber, wax, synthetic resins, and human hair—with its own distinct history and agency. These sculptures embody a profound empathy and a provocative confrontation with cultural memory, engaging themes of sexuality, violence, and power across human history and our contemporary era. Albuquerque's works exist in a perpetual state of metamorphosis, challenging conventional notions of humanity and the physical body.
Her interdisciplinary background in dance and performance infuses her sculptural work with a profound sense of movement and ritual. Albuquerque's creations transcend static form, becoming dynamic entities that spark a dialogue about the intricate facets of human experience, notably through the themes of female empowerment and self-discovery. Through her art, Isabelle Albuquerque offers a profound commentary on the interplay between body, identity, and desire, encouraging a fresh perspective on the female form that breaks free from conventional narratives.
Isabelle Albuquerque (b.1981 in Los Angeles, US) studied Architecture and Theatre at Barnard College, New York (2003). As a founding member of the music and performance duo Hecuba, she performed at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco; The Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; and the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles. Recent solo and group exhibitions include After Dark, Newchild, Antwerp (2024); Come One, Come All, Anthony Gallery, Chicago (2024); DISEMBODIED, Nicodim, Los Angeles (2024); Galeria Nicodim, 10 Years, Nicodim, Bucharest (2023); MATERNITY LEAVE: NONE OF WOMEN BORN, Nicodim in collaboration with the Green Family Art Foundation, Dallas (2023); Orgy for 10 People in One Body, Jeffrey Deitch, New York (2022, solo); BodyLand, curated by Lauren Taschen, Max Hetzler, Berlin (2022); DISEMBODIED, Nicodim, Bucharest (2022); Skin in the Game, curated by Zoe Lukov, Chicago (2022); Albuquerque’s work has appeared in numerous publications including The New York Times, Artforum, L’officiel and Flash Art. Her first monograph Orgy for 10 People in One Body (Nicodim, Pacific, Jeffrey Deitch, 2023) was published in 2023. The artist lives and works in Los Angeles.