Friday 15 June – Monday 6 August 2012
Studio Gallery
Official Opening: Friday 15 June 2012 @ 5:00pm
‘She who dreams in the dark hours of the night with far away worlds comes upon, in the abstract language of the mind, the path to unknown mysterious universes, finding herself travelling into the mesmerizing luminosity of the cosmic womb…’
SAC resident Artist Cristina Palacios investigates her personal, cultural and spiritual beliefs, in particular the spiritualised Mother Earth figure, called ‘PACHAMAMA’ in Argentinean culture. The circle is explored as spiritual motif, as well as notions of energy, cyclical repetition, and transformation.
Cristina’s approach is interdisciplinary; however I am inspired by the hidden potential of unconventional materials, and the spontaneity of drawing practices, particularly within and installation context.
PACHAMAMA is a sacred cosmic living being and a feminine god that is fertile and nurturing. In South American mythology PACHA represents infinity, the feminine spirit of force, the ‘Cosmos’, the divine and the sacred. MAMA means mother, therefore PACHAMAMA is Earth Mother. The infinite aspect is often represented by the use of the circle with no beginning and no end. This endless cycle has captured my interest and attention. The circle and the spiral form, represents the Universe, evolution and the spiritual growth throughout our lives. The spiral reaches out beyond the circle, and continually transforms.
Cristina’s installations also incorporate objects which represent notions of time and imagined universes. She sees the creative potential in everyday discarded objects in these installations. Cristina’s interest in materials, colour and patterns come from her previous profession as a fashion designer.
Cristina has bee using ultramarine blue in her works as a symbol of clarity, which leads to enlightenment. This was an intuitive decision at first, which has since developed into a more conscious understanding of colour. her works reveal a Latin American sensibility, with strong links to both traditional art and the Neo-concrete movements in Brazil.
