Chilean jewelry designer Vania Ruiz seeks, through her work, to discover and understand different aspects of her cultural identity. The domestic space as a symbolic universe is a recurring theme, which she explores through the lens of decoration and adornment. Ruiz views placing a bouquet of artificial flowers in a space as a founding act: a declaration of home, and a declaration of love—in essence, feminine. This humble and powerful material, present in most centers of popular culture, is a symbol of protection and shelter against a brutal and precarious world. When Ruiz became pregnant with her daughter, her exploration with artificial flowers turned naturally toward the creation of a fertile universe. She used textiles and resins to create shells that are resistant, but also light and translucent—a garden of exuberant, colorful, monstrous, maternal creatures.
