Kohn Gallery is pleased to announce the first solo exhibition in Los Angeles by New York-based artist Maria Berrio, opening on June 1, 2019. Inspired by her youth in the countryside of Bogotá, Colombia, Berrio’s paintings explore the experience of immigrant identity, intercultural connectivity and the beauty that is found in the diversity of cultures and countries.

Maria Berrio, A Cloud’s Roots, 2018, collage with Japanese paper and watercolor paint on canvas, 80 x 96 inches

Berrio depicts her figures with richly detailed and patterned backgrounds of exteriors and interiors. The large, detailed mixed media canvases employ lush, carefully crafted, multilayered Japanese papers and paint, resulting in scenes replete with pensive yet confident figures amid a scene of visual exuberance.

Berrio’s work often places female figures at the center of her intricately woven landscapes. Painted with watercolor details, her figures stare out of the composition determined to confront the viewer from their own surreal surroundings. The variety of media and techniques found in Maria Berrio’s practice emphasizes the interwoven cultural breadth of the world in which we live, where globalization and injustice touch the lives of everyone. Each character Berrio paints is a symbol of this new reality and the strength that can issue from it. For the artist, a female soldier on the front lines is as brave and mighty as the mother who protects her children from the perils of war. These depictions of women are seen as guiding spirits who are strong, vulnerable, compassionate, courageous and in harmony with Nature and themselves. With these combinations of human traits and emotions, Berrio fortifies her belief that with womanhood every action is considered beautiful and strong, no matter how small or large.

On view: June 1 – August 24, 2019

Where: 1227 North Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038
Website: http://www.kohngallery.com