Ana Kazaroff (UCL) - 2025-26 Students
ana.Kazaroff.25@ucl.ac.uk

Faux Marble and Creole Cunning: There’s No Risk of Failure When There’s No Possibility of Success

To what extent can the European heritage craft of ‘faux finishes’ be adapted to disrupt the colonial norms embedded within this tradition? Connecting this tradition to viveza criolla, a Latin American concept translated as ‘creole cunning’, I integrate these practices into installation artworks inspired by diasporic perspectives.

The endangered heritage craft of faux finishes is a collection of painting techniques used to recreate the look of expensive natural materials – usually wood and marble – at the heart of the production of luxury goods. These techniques reached their height in Britain in the 19th century, responding to the desire to perform the values of conquest by displaying opulent materials extracted from colonised territories. The approach has since persisted, with faux finishes used to communicate the idea of ‘success’ within capitalist culture.

I connect the deceiving aspect of these practices to viveza criolla, which is described as the art of roguish deception, and is commonly seen as an adaptation strategy in adverse conditions. Migration in the context of global crises means demand for creative solutions, and viveza criolla represents an orientation towards challenges that encourage dynamic, out-of-the-box thinking.

By applying viveza criolla as a methodology, integrating faux finishes into a body of installation artworks inspired by diasporic mistranslations – absent in the faux finishes tradition – I aim to shift the normative perspective of British decorative surfaces discourse whilst ensuring that this craft is sustained and flourishes.

Principal Supervisor: Nadia Hebson