The Alchemy of Change: Interview with Ambra Castagnetti

Ambra Castagnetti’s artistic practice delves deeply into the body’s fluidity, transformation, and species merging, transcending traditional boundaries between human and non-human identities. From sculpture and video to ceramics and performance, Castagnetti embraces a variety of mediums to explore the existential questions that shape our world. Her work has been showcased in various exhibitions and residencies worldwide, including the Venice Biennale (2022), Palazzo Monti in Brescia, and Manifattura Tabacchi in Florence. In this interview, Ambra Castagnetti shares her insights into the creative process, how spirituality influences her work, and her thoughts on the transformative potential of art in an ever-changing world.

hube: Your work explores the body as an unstable, malleable structure. What first drew you to this theme, and how has your perspective on it evolved over time?

Ambra Castagnetti: My interest in the body as a mutable entity comes from a deep fascination with transformation, both physical and existential. I have always perceived the body as something that transcends rigid definitions, an ecosystem in constant flux shaped by internal and external forces. Over time, my approach has evolved to incorporate ideas from posthumanism and interspecies relationships, exploring how bodies—human, animal, and hybrid—can merge, mutate, and redefine themselves within new contexts.

h: You move fluidly between sculpture, video, installation, performance, and now painting. How does your creative process change depending on the medium?

AC: Each medium allows me to explore different aspects of the same core questions. Sculpture gives material weight to my ideas, and video and performance allow me to engage with movement and temporality while installation creates immersive environments. Painting is a more recent addition, but it feels like an extension of my sculptural practice, a way to imprint gestures and emotions onto a surface. My process is intuitive, and the choice of medium often emerges organically based on the concept I’m working on.

h: Your work references ancient beliefs in the fluidity of identity across species. How do you incorporate these ideas into your creative process?

AC: I draw inspiration from mythologies, folklore, and contemporary biological research that challenge the human/non-human divide. My sculptures and performances often depict hybrid beings, creatures that exist in liminal spaces between species, gender, and identity. I am interested in the rituals and symbolic gestures that reinforce these connections, translating them into visual and performative language.

h: Can you share more about your approach to ceramics? How does this medium, with its physicality and transformation through fire, align with your artistic vision?

AC: Ceramics is a fascinating medium because it embodies transformation—it moves from a malleable, almost flesh-like state to something rigid and enduring through fire. This process mirrors the themes I explore in my work: metamorphosis, resilience, and the alchemy of change. Working with clay also has an elemental, almost ritualistic quality that deeply resonates with my practice.

h: Drawing plays an important role in your practice. Do you see it as a preparatory tool, or does it stand independently as part of your body of work?

AC: Drawing is both a preparatory tool and an independent form of expression for me. It allows me to visualise ideas quickly and intuitively, but it also exists as its own entity, often containing raw, immediate energy that doesn’t always translate into other media. Some of my drawings serve as blueprints for sculptures, while others capture emotions and narratives that might not take another form.

h: You mention a fascination with esoteric and occult knowledge. How does spirituality or ritual influence your work?

AC: Spirituality and ritual are central to my practice, not in a dogmatic sense, but as ways to access deeper, non-linear understandings of existence. I am drawn to the symbolism and performative aspects of rituals, the way they create connections between individuals, nature, and the unknown. My work often functions as a contemporary ritual, using gestures, objects, and spaces to evoke transformation and catharsis.

h: Do you think of your work as healing or cathartic, both for yourself and for the audience?

AC: Absolutely. My work often stems from personal experiences of tension, crisis, and change, and the act of creating is a form of processing and release. I hope that this translates to the audience as well, offering a space where they can project their own narratives and emotions, engaging with something primal and transformative.

h: How do you see your art contributing to larger conversations about identity, transformation, and survival in a rapidly changing world?

AC: We are living in a time of extreme flux—biological, technological, and social. My work engages with these transformations, questioning what it means to exist in shifting realities. By creating hybrid figures and speculative environments, I invite viewers to reflect on identity beyond fixed categories, to embrace fluidity, and to reconsider their relationship with the non-human.

h: Are there particular artists, past or present, who have significantly influenced your practice?

AC: Yes, many. Matthew Barney’s approach to mythology and performance, Björk’s synthesis of music and visual art, and FKA Twigs’ transformative aesthetics have all been important influences. I am also inspired by figures from different disciplines, from philosopher Rosi Braidotti’s work on posthumanism to ancient ritualistic art forms that defy categorisation.

h: If you could create a large-scale public artwork anywhere in the world, what would it be and where?

AC: I would love to create a large-scale, immersive installation in a natural landscape—perhaps in a desert or a deep forest. A structure that interacts with the environment shifts with the elements and becomes part of the ecosystem. A space where people could enter, experience a sense of metamorphosis, and leave altered in some way as if they had undergone a ritualistic journey.