Juan-Manuel Pinzon

Cultches is a series of sculptural interventions of varied scale and visibility, scattered throughout the quiet southwest corner of the Park. Exploring similar themes of metamorphosis and adaptation, these works are inspired by the term “cultch,” which colloquially refers to a collection of less valuable items that can be repurposed, and in ecological terms, describes an accumulation of crushed shells and detritus where bivalves like clams and oysters spawn and thrive. As filter feeders, bivalves transform dissolved minerals into shells, which can eventually become part of limestone deposits used in concrete for urban construction. 

In a parallel way, these sculptures repurpose materials such as clamshells and recycled plastic packaging into a dynamic sculptural ecosystem where human-made and natural elements converge. They seek to fill spaces that have lost parts of themselves: emerging from dilapidated concrete, dangling from pruned or broken branches, nestling into cobblestones, and catching the eye with glimmers of embedded highway glass or iridescent pigment. This installation expands the notion of “invasive species” to consider materiality, highlighting not only new and adapting species but also how the intermingling of invasive and native materials is already a significant part of our lives.

About the Artist

Juan-Manuel Pinzon (he/him) is an artist based in New York City. Juan studied economics at Oberlin College (’18), completed the 9-month program at the Krenov School of Fine Woodworking (’19) and earned his MFA in Craft/Material Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University (‘22). He is currently a fellow at Socrates Sculpture Park and has attended residencies at Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, VT, The Ellis Beauregard Foundation in Rockland, ME, and Stove Works in Chattanooga, TN. He has exhibited work across the country, most recently at Pascall Hall, Rockport, ME and Cierah Gallery in New York, NY. 

https://juanmanuelpinzon.com/