Miami-based Argentinian artist Carolina Sardi is happy to see her “Walking Paths” piece onboard the Icon of the Seas.
The 1,198-foot-long “Icon of the Seas,” which can accommodate 5,610 passengers, entered Government Cut and docked at Port Miami around 7 a.m. this past January 10th.
Argentinian sculptor Carolina Sardi has been based in Miami since 1995. She graduated from the National University of La Plata in Argentina with a master's degree in sculpture. She also studied urban planning and architecture at the same university. Additionally, she took sculpture classes under Enio Iommi.
“Walking Paths” is a sculptural composition installed over a large mural of her design. The installation covers 2 walls and 4 decks of the forward walls in the Central Park area of the ship.
In addition to “Walking Paths”, “Branches over Canopies” is a more intimate series of sculptures that take over one of the side walls. The sculptural pieces are separated from the wall surface in order to create depth and shadows. Every one of these installations uses the blank walls as a support system and medium and they seemingly integrate with the ship’s architecture and the lush environment of Central Park.
Sardi's use of a raw material like steel that has been polished and reflects a labor-intensive and repetitive process that allows for direct attention to the process as an essential component of the meaning of the work, where sculpture is understood as an object, matter, and space.
When were you first approached for this project?
I was first approached to work on pieces for the ship over the Summer of 2022. The location and the concept for my work then changed and I started to work in the Central Park location in May of 2023.
What made you agree to it?
I loved the challenge to work in a very complicated space. The work involved not only the actual design of my pieces; but also the fact that I had to take into consideration engineering the structural support and fabricating them with the adequate materials and structure to withstand extreme weather and the movement of the ship itself.
What does this piece represent to you?
This piece represents for me a timeless sense of nature, the discoveries you make when you are immersed in it and the paths we are taking as we stroll in it. The shapes of the sculptures and the images in the mural can be seen as leaves, branches, cells and living organisms. The predominant circular elements refer to the cycles of life, the different seasons and the beginnings and ending of any journey.
How do you relate this piece and project to your achievements?
It feels good to see the project taken to completion and overcome all the challenges that were presented. It’s great to be part of such an impressive engineering project, the biggest cruise ship to sail the ocean. And it’s rewarding for me to see that the experience I had accumulated over the years working in many different projects can be applied and executed to create this pieces.
Biography
Some of her solo exhibitions include: Pan American Art Projects Gallery in Miami and Dallas, Lelia Mordoch Gallery in Paris, Cheryl Hazan Gallery in New York; Steps Gallery in London, UK; Heriard Cimino Gallery in New Orleans, Exquisite Tension at the Gulf Coast Museum of Art in Largo, FL; Blue at the Government Center Gallery from Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs; Over/Under at Flashpoint Gallery in Washington DC; Forest at the Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach, Bee at Mia Gallery, Miami International Airport ; Imaginary Lines at the Museum of the Americas in Washington DC and Free to be Captive at the Museum of Art of Fort Lauderdale.
Her work has been exhibited at the international art fairs of Volta NY, Art Miami, Pulse New York, Art LA, Art Shanghai, Art DC, Miart Milan in Italy, Ela Asia Taipei, Diva New York, Scope London, New York and Miami, Bridge Art Fair London and Miami, Arte Americas Miami, Palm Beach Contemporary, Art Santa Fe and Art Brussels.
