A visit to the outdoor studio of Miami-based artist Cristina Lei Rodriguez is like being transported into a kaleidoscopic daydream—or directly into one of her sculptures. Bohemian chandeliers dangle off the trees and vivid colors drip from every corner; this setting, this deliberate intrusion of the man-made into the natural world, is a theme Rodriguez explores again and again. She works outside in part because much of her work involves heating, melting, and reforming toxic materials, such as plastic, epoxy, plaster, and concrete. The resulting multi-layered work replicates nature, but it’s nature with a twist: nature studded with the artificial, including a generous helping of glitter. The result transports viewers to layered, magical worlds that unfold slowly.

In Act Natural, Rodriguez’s sculptural landscapes and her photographs, which employ the sculptures as a starting point, are documented comprehensively for the first time. The book’s lush design reflects the exuberant, thought-provoking spirit of the artist’s work. Act Natural includes essays by Cristina Lei Rodriguez, Shane Aslan Selzer, José Carlos Diaz, and Christian Larsen. 

Cristina Lei Rodriguez is a Miami-based sculptor whose work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including shows at the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Serpentine Galleries, Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Team Gallery, and Deitch Projects. In Miami, Rodriguez’s work is part of the permanent collections of PAMM, the de la Cruz Collection, The Bass, and the Rubell Family Collection. She received a BA from Middlebury College and an MFA from California College of Art. She has been artist in residence at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens in Miami, the International Studio & Curatorial Program of New York, and the Oakland Museum of California.