Mari Nagem
ruínas ninhos, 2026 
ceramic, mineral, and acrylic
6 × 6 × 6 inches each
Edition of 40

ruínas ninhos (ruin nests) is a limited edition of forty unique sculptural objects by Mari Nagem, presented as part of her solo exhibition, The Tropics, The Moon, and Mars at CUE. Embedded with mineral inclusions and resting upon supports of both oversaturated synthetic and earthly organic materials, they suggest futuristic ruins inspired by mining processes, mineral extraction, and the internal architecture of birds’ nests.

Nagem treats clay as paper, folding, bending, and constructing an interior world that is at once tactile and unknowable. Through this process, clay serves as a messenger, a medium to reflect on the relationship of earth and the natural world to human technologies, gestures, and emotions. Clay registers physical traces of pressure, repetition, deformation, and erosion, making visible what would otherwise disappear.