Uruguay · Molded and shaped figurative leather sculpture
Escultura en cuero
Standing figures sculpted from leather in two 'lenguajes' (languages) of the material: fine, malleable sheep leather for softly draped figures and thick, rigid sole leather for stiffer forms. The figures portray Uruguayan popular culture (rural life, the city and Carnival, including robed Carnival court figures and murga or candombe musicians with accordion and guitar) in limited, unrepeatable series that aim to re-signify leather as 'un material noble, natural y distintiva del Uruguay' (a noble, natural material distinctive of Uruguay). The documented practitioner, Alberto Gutiérrez (working as Aescala), began as an artisan in 1978, worked in pyrography, resin, glass fusion, wood and model-making, and has centered on leather sculpture since 2004.
Risk level: Vulnerable · Not Applicable — no UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage inscription exists for this craft at time of writing
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