"Nata" is a transmedia work that reflects on relationships and social constructs through a dreamlike, self-referential universe of my own creation. Within it, a series of characters wear animal masks made of ceramic, coexisting and reinterpreting my family, friends, and loves—figures who populate my imagination and are essential in shaping my identity.

The piece explores themes such as the use of social masks, the mutability of the self, the construction of personality, aging, the worship of self-image, and affective and social relationships—often disingenuous and toxic—as well as family, love, friendship, longing, and solitude.

In this universe, the masks were crafted by the characters themselves—expressions of their inner selves presented to the world. Through sculpting and finishing, they exalt personal traits, serving as materializations of people, moods, or even different facets of a single personality. These gleaming ceramic sculptures reinterpret and satirize the individual's self-image, highlighting the tension between their sensual appeal, weight, and fragility.

The title Nata references "biscoitos de nata" (cream cookies), a nostalgic trigger tied to childhood memories. It also alludes to something that surfaces when boiled, like the creamy film that forms atop heated milk—a metaphorical process of extracting meaning, emotion, or some veiled truth. Nata is also a term commonly used to refer to the finest or most prestigious part of something, adding an ironic layer of meaning when considering the characters concealed beneath their social masks.

Photographs by Kenneth Kemp & Orlando Saal