María Berrío: Flowered Songs and Broken Currents
The Colombian-born, New York-based artist is best known for her intricate, dream-like collages meticulously crafted from layers of Japanese paper. Her large-scale works, as the gallery explains, often reflect on ‘cross-cultural connections and global migration as seen through the prism of her own history’.
Berrío draws on her childhood memories in Colombia, mythology, and contemporary socio-political issues — particularly immigrant experiences and identities — facing America today. Her compositions often feature bold, vibrant colours and figures, usually women, who stare straight at the viewer.
‘We haven’t had a voice,’ Berrío told the Guardian in a recent interview. ‘People talk about Frida Kahlo – and I love Frida Kahlo – but it’s like, come on, there’s other Latina women. I feel like it’s my responsibility to shine the light on other Latina women who haven’t had this possibility.’
Her first solo show in the UK is set to do just that. In these works, she addresses the impact of trauma on the families and individuals living in an imaginary fishing village in Colombia, and explores both the pain of loss and the resilience of humanity. Even in the wake of trauma, she says, people continue to strive: ‘I hope these images give that message, that there’s hope and that, through art, you can see it.’
WHEN
6 October–27 November 2020