Mariana del Castillo An Accomplice in Something Other
13 Oct - 29 Oct 2023
Spud Lane Galleries Presents:
MARIANA DEL CASTILLO —
An Accomplice in Something Other
Mariana del Castillo's artistic evolution is marked by a recent shift from the exploration of her internal landscape to a deep engagement with the external world.
These monochromatic pieces capture the essence of country, ravaged by fire, floods, storms, and drought. Yet a quiet ethereal beauty permeates each piece.
There is a sense of slow patient creation in del Castillo's work. As your eyes follow the winding cotton stitching that meanders over the surface, or rest on delicately stained repurposed linen, there is a sense of timelessness that allows you to contemplate the enduring beauty of the natural world amidst the challenges it faces.
An Accomplice in Something Other is a journey through the artist's evolving relationship with nature, a meditation on climate change, and a celebration of Mariana del Castillo's multidisciplinary talents.
— Cat Doyle, September 23
Collage/ Monotype: re-purposed linen, paint, cotton, sumi ink and clay paint, 42x42cm
SOLD
Collage/ Monotype: re-purposed linen, paint, cotton, sumi ink and clay paint, 42x42cm
SOLD
Collage/ Monotype: re-purposed linen, paint, cotton, sumi ink and clay paint, 42x42cm
SOLD
Collage/ Monotype: re-purposed linen, paint, cotton, sumi ink and clay paint, 42x42cm
SOLD
Recycled galvanised bread tray, wood, sea grass roots, acrylic paint, cotton thread, industrial felt, metal, wool and cotton, 59x47x10cm
SOLD
Recycled linen, cotton thread, indigo and sumi ink, 97x93cm
SOLD
Collage/ Monotype: re-purposed linen, indigo cotton, sumi ink and clay paint, 62x62cm
SOLD
Recycled linen, chalk paint, wool, cotton thread, indigo and sumi ink, 76x72cm
SOLD
ARTIST STATEMENT:
“I have been increasingly drawn to the landscape of the Snow Valley, the open plains of the Southern Highlands, the Monaro and the low hills around Lake George. My new works move away from the personal history of my internal landscape out into country. Over this intense period of making, I felt compelled to bring the effects of climate change more directly into my art practice.
This exhibition expands on my earlier constructions created for Quiet – Unquiet presented this year at the Shoalhaven Regional Gallery. In early 2022 I was invited by the University of Canberra to mentor and deliver arts for therapy workshops for the Regeneration program substantially funded by donations raised by Magda Zsubanski and Will Connolly. Regeneration is a collaborative response to complex traumas experienced by Australia’s rural communities from drought and bushfires. While in the Snow Valleys high country I saw first-hand the devastation that the bushfires had on the landscape, enormous black hills, extended vistas and deepening valleys. In between workshops I began to sketch this extended landscape between the small towns of Batlow, Tumbarumba, Adelong and Tumut. These drawings created the seed that was later germinated in my studio and began to inform these new constructions.
In mid 2022 I undertook a Bundanon residency. This solitary time brought clarity to my relationship to nature and its importance to my art practice. An accomplice in something other seeks to translate the experience of being in the landscape. Motivated by experimentation in my studio I focused on surface textures through mono-printing, collage, stitching and painting with an emphasis on mark-making as a means of exploring this new visual narrative in my art practice.”
— Mariana del Castillo, September 23
EXHIBITION DATES:
Friday 13 October – Sunday 29 October 2023
Spud Lane Annexe: Shop 6/91 Hoddle St, Robertson NSW 2577
(Exhibition continues in our laneway gallery at the rear of Highlands Hive)
Friday to Sunday, 10am–4pm
OPENING RECEPTION:
Saturday 14 October, 3-5pm.
The artist will be in attendance.
RSVP for the Opening
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Mariana del Castillo lives and works in Ngambri/Ngunnawal land. Mariana is an Ecuadorian-born, Australian multidisciplinary Contemporary artist.
Mariana has participated in numerous sculpture festivals/biennials and residences. Awarded 2023 CAPO Fellowship, 2022 Bundanon Artist in Residence, ArtsACT 2020 Homefront recipient, Belco Arts 2020 Going the Distance grant, ArtsACT Materials Grant for 2018, Aspen Island, 2015 Macquarie Wealth Award, 2009 CAPO Rosalie Gascoigne award.
She has had several solo exhibitions and participated in many group exhibitions. These have included 2023 Shoalhaven Regional Gallery, New England Regional Museum, invited to create site specific installations: 2022 Shift: CMAG Gallery 4 Design Festival, Re- locate, Assembly point, Southbank Melbourne, Canberra's Art Biennial: Contour 556: 2016-18,20,22, 2020 Ruination - Art not Apart, 2020 Off Balance: online videos, animations, and sculptures, Australian Canberra Contemporary Arts Space, 2019 Perceived Indifference, Glassworks Smokestack Gallery, 2015 ART + CLIMATE = CHANGE - Australian Galleries, VIC, Small works, Beaver Galleries. Previously represented by Helen Maxwell Gallery, Braddon and Maunsell Hughes Gallery, Paddington. Finalist: 2017/22/23 Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize; 2018 Small Sculpture Award, Deakin University; 2017 Fishers Ghost Art Award.
Represented/ collections: 2010 and 2014, Canberra Museum and Gallery Collection; KDN Group; Mallesons Stephen & Jaques, Barristers and Solicitors; ANU Acton; NRS Group; The Parliamentary Group, Canberra.
Her works are held in public and private collections in Australia and overseas.
Mariana is currently a visual arts mentor for the University of Canberra ADF Arts for Recovery program.
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