Clouded Infinity, 2020, is one of a number of recent works whose theme is the quiet of catastrophe’s aftermath, a solemnity that points as much towards modes of resilience and adaptation as it does to the crushing devastation of loss. This theme takes shape through Berrío’s narration of a small Colombian fishing village that has undergone a tragedy. In these works, the artist explores how the formation of historical memory occurs amidst processes of grieving in a village that maps the site of her own imagination.

Writing about the series, Berrío states, ‘At the end of 2019, I started researching the history of small fishing villages in Colombia. I quickly became intrigued by the stories of these villages and their inhabitants, dark tales of environmental and political catastrophe. In each instance, however, I also encountered stories of resilience, of individuals miraculously cultivating hope from barren soil. These stories inspired me to imagine my own fishing village, this one steeped in the language and mythos of magical realism. Though the armature I constructed was a fiction, it was nonetheless tinged with real events. My paintings became a medium through which to channel the feelings and emotions that reverberated outwards from these events.

Clouded Infinity began with the idea of life cycles. It depicts a woman early in her pregnancy, perhaps around four months. Her hands clasp her belly, cradling its small bulge. The room she sits in is large and empty, save for a plant, some flowers, and her shoes. I wanted to capture the feeling I felt in the first uncertain months of my own pregnancy. Any attempt to imagine the future seemed impossible, like looking into a mirror fogged with breath. This piece is very much about the flowering of hope amidst sadness and grief. Despite all the loss around us, children are still being born. These new lives arriving during this time bring a glimpse of joy and unconditional love.’

About the artist

Based in Brooklyn, María Berrío grew up in Colombia. Her works, which are meticulously crafted from layers of Japanese paper, reflect on cross-cultural connections and global migration seen through the prism of her own history.

Berrío’s work is in permanent collections including the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, USA; National Gallery of Art, Washington DC; Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, USA; Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, USA; Pérez Art Museum, Miami, USA and Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, USA, among others. Her work has been shown as part of significant exhibitions at The Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York; Philadelphia Museum of Art, USA; Nasher Museum of Art, USA; Prospect.4 Triennial, New Orleans; and the Museo del Barrio, New York. The artist’s first survey show María Berrío: Esperando mientras la noche florece (Waiting for the Night to Bloom) was on view at The Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach from January until May 2021.