Art Gallery

Cristina Palacios @ ART Hotel on York, Launceston.

Artist Statement:

The body of work presented at the ART Hotel on York, refers to the idea of the beginning of life in the Universe.

I believe that all life starts as a dot or particle in the universe, a single cell or atom that transforms into ‘prima materia’, energy and sometimes Humanity.

My practice explores my cultural, political, spiritual and personal beliefs which are grounded in Pachamama (Mother Universe in South American mythology). ‘Pacha’ represents infinity, the feminine spirit of force, space and time, the divine and the sacred or the universe, Pachamama is a sacred cosmic living being and a feminine god that is fertile and nurturing.

With the use of many materials and techniques, my approach is interdisciplinary. I use whatever I feel communicates most strongly the effects that our immateriality, temporality and impermanence has on our environment.

‘Formless’ within physics refers to the composed primal matter that was found in the universe at the beginning of time. I am using ‘formless’ abstract motifs that echo the symbolism of the ‘circle’ to represent cosmic subject matter and natural processes. The circle is investigated as a symbol of the ‘feminine’, the Mother Universe or ‘Matrix’ from which all other revolves/evolves.

I undertook experimental formless drawings employing strategies of chance and indeterminacy as tools to access my unconscious.  I experiment with materials of my everyday environment to mimic the forces that operate in the universe (stars, planets, black holes, expansion, gravity, the void, flow, decay and transformation).  Using these strategies I am an instigating force, setting up processes to transform beyond my control.

There are two aspects of inquiry within my work.  One is spontaneous and intuitive, responding to theenvironment I am in and the materials I work with.  The other aspect of my practice is a more controlled way of working. I get lost in the making and into a meditative state. I see the making as a process and the process as a concept.

Cristina Palacios

December, 2018