designboom_displayed inside a 13th-century church, anton alvarez presents his exhibition ‘l’ultima cera’ for this year’s milan design week. curator nicolas bellavance-lecompte commissioned alvarez as the first artist of fonderia artistica battaglia’s new residency program.

anton alvarez’s work oscillates between the unexpected and the controlled. to create the unique shapes of his bronze sculptures, the artist built a machine he named ‘the extruder’. the machine is a metal cylinder that hangs with chains from the ceiling, and using an electric motor, exerts more than six thousand pounds of pressure on wax, pushing it through different molds and shapes. the wax then flows into a large swimming pool and into the hands of the artist who sculpts the result, creating its final shape. when the wax shape is ready, it is then cast in bronze making the one-of-a-kind sculptures.

each sculpture has a unique form and character, varying in shape, size and color. the process to create the shapes meanders between intention and surprise, creating completely different pieces. the artist painted one a deep navy color, and another bright turquoise, giving a different appearance to each sculpture. he left others untouched, leaving the natural bronze material exposed.

the pieces are displayed at the chiesa san bernardino alle monache, in the old milanese center. the church’s pews were all removed to create an open canvas to scatter the objects throughout the space, in groups of three or standing alone. each cluster or lone sculpture is illuminated by a bright, warm spotlight, a striking contrast from the dimly lit church. the shiny pieces command attention in the dark room, even appearing as religious objects, fitting for their environment.