Panda Description

The subject matter and media that Federico Uribe chooses are often deliberately incongruous.  His Pandas made out of bullet shells contain a stark juxtaposition between an innocent creature and a violent object.  This contrast calls, first, for close inspection of the construction details and, then, introspection about the artist’s meaning.  Uribe does not advocate a political agenda, rather in whatever medium he uses, he asks you to step out of your comfort zone for a moment and into his world to marvel at something you’ve never seen before.  The media may appropriately inspire political or philosophical debate; however, the artist’s only intention is to encourage the viewer to see objects, which typically have a sole function, in a new and optimistic way.  Uribe believes that these bullet sculptures are successful if they can make an observer smile, despite the fact that they are made out of a historically maleficent symbol.