• Josefina left the field of biology to dedicate herself to paper sculpture
• Her technique is an adapted version of the traditional cartapesta, using layered paper strips
• The colour in her sculptures comes from finding illustrated paper, rather than from painting

Josefina Stagnaro grew up in a small village surrounded by fields and nature. “As a child, I loved pretending to be an explorer discovering new species of plants and animals,” she recalls. That curiosity led her to study biology. Years later, after a career rethink, she left the world of molecular biology in Berlin, returned to Argentina and, in 2019, began experimenting with paper sculpture. “I had a pile of old telephone directories that I kept, knowing that one day I would use them," she says. Josefina began to experiment with building an armature out of wire, and started applying layers of paper with glue. “Nature is my greatest source of inspiration. Biodiversity, with its endless structures and functions, is constantly evolving," she explains. "In many ways, this reflects my own creative process, which is also in continuous evolution, combining different techniques into an ever-developing personal practice.”