The Art of Shaping What’s Real: Behind the Scenes at El.Mago.Libre.Gallery
At El.Mago.Libre.Gallery, every sculpture begins with a quiet ritual—an intimate meeting between art and the human body. Far from mass production, our mold-making process is slow, intentional, and deeply human. It is a tribute to the feminine form in its most natural, unfiltered state—where the first to feel its beauty are the very models who offer their presence to the piece.
Step One: Welcoming, Listening, and Caring
The process begins with presence. We welcome the model in our tranquil space and have a little interview to present ourselves, ensuring she feels safe, seen, and comfortable. Every session is built on trust. Before any materials are touched, we take time to connect, to choose together which part of the body will be honored, and to find the pose that captures its essence—soft, strong, vulnerable, or wild.
Preparing the Skin, Preparing the Moment
Once the pose is set, we prepare the skin. A blend of coconut oil and vaseline is gently applied—both to protect the body and to ensure the silicone doesn’t stick to pelitos (little hairs). This step is almost meditative, a pause before the imprint.
We then carefully mix the exact amount of silicone needed, calculating volume, temperature, and time. The silicone is applied slowly, lovingly, layer by layer, recording every line, every texture, every subtle story carried by the skin.
Capturing the Form, Preserving the Memory
Once the silicone sets, we apply wet plaster gauze to give the mold structure and support. This outer shell holds the shape in place and makes it possible to safely remove the form from the body once dry.
When both layers have hardened, we carefully release the mold—what’s left is a delicate, exact negative of that living moment. From here, the real magic begins: the mold becomes a vessel through which El.Mago.Libre gives life to a new piece.
A Body Remembered, A New Work Born
For us, the mold is just the beginning. It becomes the foundation on which El.Mago.Libre will build a new piece—one that carries the soul of that session, the energy of that body, the intention behind that pose.
What we try to hold in each work is not perfection, but truth. The raw, beautiful, imperfect truth of a body that exists, breathes, and dares to be seen. There’s no retouching, no idealization. Just form, detail, texture—and with them, identity.
And perhaps the most powerful part of it all is this: the first person to experience the impact of the process is always the model herself.In witnessing her own form transformed into art, many tell us they feel seen in a new way. Not judged. Not compared. Just… acknowledged.
That, more than anything, is the reason we do what we do.
To remind us that our bodies carry stories worth preserving.
That beauty can be honest.
And that from skin, silence, and sculpture, something deeply human can emerge.
Thank you for stepping into our process and witnessing what lives behind each piece.
At El.Mago.Libre.Gallery, we believe that art begins long before the sculpture is finished.
