Hauser & Wirth is pleased to announce its representation of Colombia-born, Brooklyn-based artist María Berrío (b. 1982) in collaboration with Victoria Miro.

Drawing on childhood memories, dreams, mythological themes and issues at the forefront of contemporary culture, Berrío’s intricate large-scale collages push the limits of conventional portraiture and landscape painting. Her imaginative, dreamlike works are often populated by women set in ethereal spaces that seem to exist outside of conventional time and space. Inspired in part by South American folklore, her art places humans and nature in a harmonious coexistence, suggestive of a delicate ecology in which the personal and collective seek balance. Berrío’s work explores the ways history shapes individuals and communities; in her amalgamation of memory, fact and fiction, she blurs the boundaries between reality and fantasy to address the many struggles and contradictions of our present day.

Berrío’s technical prowess is demonstrated through the singular process of layering hundreds of pieces of cut and torn Japanese paper on which she adds shadows and delicate details in watercolor, graphite, and ink to achieve richly textured, multi-dimensional surfaces. This unique approach–which she has been honing over the past two decades––allows her to evoke both the fragility and the strength of the female figures she depicts. By making these figures life-sized, the artist compels viewers to confront them eye to eye, entering a world that is as emotionally resonant as it is visually captivating. Beneath the beauty of her compositions, replete with an air of wistful nostalgia, Berrío alludes to the political and social struggles that effect the most vulnerable members of society.

María Berrío’s current exhibition, The End of Ritual, is on view at Victoria Miro in London until 18 January.

photo: Kyle Dorosz