Yolanda Pocetti reintroduces the world’s largest rodent to the busy commuters of Tigre.
(A message to the reader.)
I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in a city where inhabitants have the privilege of being surrounded by nature. The Río de la Plata borders our coast and therefore, a lush vegetation shelters hundreds of species of birds and some mammals. Despite having them so close, we are blind to them, or barely see them. We do not know them, we do not value them, and we do not give them space in our lives without knowing that our existence and physical, spiritual, and emotional health also depend on them.
In general, human beings consider the city and its architectural and cultural heritage as superior to the natural heritage, and we are not aware of the immense universe of living beings that inhabit it.
Very close to the city where I live, the largest rodent in the world can be found: the capybara. This mammal is being cornered: its habitat, like that of birds and other mammals, is being destroyed by the advance of housing developments in gated communities.
The capybara needs water to live, that is why in the Parana Delta, in Buenos Aires, you can see many of them. However, with the advance of housing estates, they have nowhere to go and are forced to adapt to survive.
I am an artist and a sculptor; and I love to represent animals, not only to make them known, to give them visibility, but also to try to raise awareness about their problems.
I had the opportunity, on Earth Day, 2021, to inaugurate a sculptural group called “Armonia/Harmony” in the centre of the city of Tigre, in the north of Buenos Aires. These sculptures represent a family of capybaras consisting of a mother capybara and her two offspring who are in peace, in harmony, playing, enjoying, caring, and protecting each other. A bird called Cattle tyrant or “Picabuey”, on the back of the mother capybara, rests in the peace that the mammal bestows at the same time the bird provides a service: eating the insects that are on the animal.
The Capybara family lies at the entrance of a populated train station, on the street. From the very first day, it’s become quite popular, as people take photos of themselves and pet the sculptures as if they were real, to the extent that the bonze’s brown patina on the animals’ and bird’s heads have turned bright gold.
The work seeks to convey that all beings, all species, can live together in harmony, in peace, taking care of each other, breathing fresh air in the middle of a city or anywhere on earth where animals are taken into account, have their own space and can live in freedom.
About Yolanda Pocetti
I’m an Argentinean visual artist and sculptor. I have specialized in sculpting animals because many years ago while doing voluntary work at a natural reserve, I discovered not only my lack of knowledge about native animals but also that of many people. I try to portray them in figurative and realistic ways and have participated in various ecological, artistic, and educational institutional projects, both public and private. To build a sculpture, I first study the animal and sketch it. After defining the design, I create a structure out of paper, metal, or another material, and then I begin to cover it with clay that has been previously kneaded. Once the structure is covered, I begin the modelling, which is done entirely by hand from the most general to the smallest detail, which I pay a lot of attention to. Follow @yolandapocetti
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Mi nombre es Yolanda Pocetti, vivo en Buenos Aires, Argentina, en una ciudad en donde los habitantes tenemos el privilegio de estar rodeados de naturaleza, el Río de La Plata bordea nuestra costa y por lo tanto una vegetación frondosa abriga cientos de especies de aves y algunos mamíferos. A pesar de tenerlos tan cerca no los vemos o los vemos poco, no los conocemos, no lo valoramos, no le damos espacio en nuestra vida sin saber que nuestra existencia y salud física, espiritual e emocional depende también de ellos.
En general el ser humano considera la ciudad, el patrimonio arquitectónico y cultural superior al patrimonio natural y no reparamos en el inmenso universo que allí habita.
Muy cerca de la ciudad donde vivo se encuentra el roedor más grande del mundo: el capibara o carpincho. Este mamíferos tiene cada vez menos espacio donde vivir, su habitat al igual que el de las aves y otros mamíferos se ve destruido por el avance de la construcción de viviendas en barrios cerrados.
El carpincho necesita del agua para vivir, es por eso que en el Delta del Parana, en Buenos Aires, se pueden ver muchos de ellos, pero con el avance de la construcción no tienen donde ir y se ven obligados a adaptarse para sobrevivir.
Soy artista, escultora y amo representar animales, no sólo para darlos a conocer, darles visibilidad sino también tratar de conscientizar sobre su problemática.
Tuve la oportunidad, en el día en que se conmemora el día de la Tierra, de inaugurar para la vía pública, en el centro de la ciudad de Tigre, Buenos Aires, un grupo escultórico llamado” Armonia”. Estas esculturas representan una familia de carpinchos constituida por una mamá carpincho y sus dos crías que están en paz, en armonía, jugando, disfrutando, cuidándose y protegiéndose entre ellos, un pájaro “picabuey” sobre el lomo de la mamá carpincho reposa en la paz que el mamífero le proporciona al mismo tiempo el ave le brinda un servicio: comer los insectos que están sobre el animal.
La obra busca transmitir que todos los seres, todas las especies podamos convivir en armonía, en paz, cuidandonos los unos a los otros, respirando aire puro en pleno centro de una ciudad o en cualquier lugar sobre la tierra en donde los animales sean tenidos en cuenta, tengan su espacio y puedan vivir en libertad.
