Cristina Ochoa

Category: Sugar

  • Sweet Junkie

    Exposition name: Sweet Junkie
    Type: Photo, print on vynil
    Date: 2007

    Description: Sweet Junkie (2007) is a photographic work printed on vinyl, depicting a character in the midst of a sugar overdose, blurring the line between pleasure and addiction. Through its exaggerated portrayal, the piece critiques the normalization of excessive sugar consumption and its effects on the body and psyche, transforming sweetness into a visual metaphor for dependency. Dimensions are variable, adapting to different exhibition contexts.

  • Sugar Forest

    Exposition name: Sugar Forest
    Type: Animation and Sculptures
    Materials: Animation and sculptures with sugar packages.
    Date: 2008

    Description: Sugar Forest (2008) is a visual exploration combining animation and sculpture, constructed entirely from commercial sugar packages. The project reflects on mass consumption, the artificiality of processed food, and the industrial aesthetics of sweetness. Through the transformation of a mundane product into an imaginative forest landscape, the work critiques global sugar economies while evoking both nostalgia and discomfort. 

  • Paramar

    Exposition name: Paramar
    Location: Casa Espacio de Obra. Rosario, Argentina
    Type: Video Installation: Glass cup filled with sugar and ants.
    Dimension: 15 square meters
    Date: 2015

    Description: This video installation consists of a projection on water, plants, and found objects sourced directly from the Paraná River in Rosario, Argentina. The footage features everyday scenes of people gathered along the riverbank, sharing and drinking yerba mate, capturing a moment of communal ritual and connection to place. Installed over a 15-square-meter area, the work was presented at Casa Espacio en Obra in Rosario in 2015, blending natural elements with moving image to evoke a sensory, site-specific reflection on social and ecological relationships.

  • Ants Trap

    Exposition name: Ants Trap
    Location: Casa Espacio de Obra. Rosario, Argentina
    Type: Video Installation.
    Date: 2015

    Description: This experiment was designed to observe the behavioral response of ants to a concentrated source of sugar. A glass vase filled with sugar was placed on the terrace of the house where we were in residency. Over the course of two days, a camera captured the evolving activity: at first, two ants arrived and quickly died, but soon after, many others followed. Eventually, larger ants appeared and began organizing the smaller ones, forming a coordinated effort—an ant “army”—working together to lift the glass and extract the sugar. The footage even reveals what resembles a council or gathering of ants beside the vase, suggesting strategic decision-making. The piece draws parallels to human social and political organization, while also hinting at the stimulant effect of sugar and its impact on collective behavior.