Maria Nepomuceno – Expiro

‘Expiro epitomises this organic process of making and developing the pieces, and it also alludes to the Venetian glassblowing technique.’ — Maria Nepomuceno

‘Collaborating with the Venetian glass master Giancarlo Signoretto during her two-month residency in Venice, Nepomuceno integrated traditional glassblowing techniques into her practice, crafting various glass elements of different shapes and sizes designed to hold small objects and fragments that the artist collected in Venice. These glass elements serve as a visual record of her time in the lagoon city, preserving the memory of her residency and transforming everyday objects into lasting artistic expressions.’

‘These glass elements serve as a visual record of her time in the lagoon city, preserving the memory of her residency and transforming everyday objects into lasting artistic expressions.’ — Eugenio Viola

‘Nepomuceno portrays rope as both line and umbilical cord, with each bead symbolising a potential beginning that carries the duplication of potentially endless multiplication.’ — Eugenio Viola

‘Nepomuceno’s lively and boldly coloured artworks evoke images of creatures, flora, human bodies and landscapes, ranging from intricate details to vast expanses. She emphasises the connection between the human body and nature, infusing her work with vivacious energy and dynamism. She portrays rope as both line and umbilical cord, with each bead symbolising a potential beginning that carries the duplication of potentially endless multiplication.’

‘I have been obsessed with spirals since I was a child… It is the DNA of my work and is also connected to the Murano glass technique.’ — Maria Nepomuceno

‘I have been obsessed with spirals since I was a child… It is the DNA of my work and is also connected to the Murano glass technique. The spiral is a very Venetian pattern in the way artisans turn the glass to shape this characteristic form. A spiral is an open structure that turns inside towards the nucleus and also opens to the outside. It represents a centrifugal idea and movement of expansion, which is integral to my work and relates to my experience in Venice.’

‘The act of expirar (breathing) makes the work fluid and gives it an open quality and sense of transmutation.’ — Eugenio Viola

‘Ultimately, Expiro offers a captivating journey through Nepomuceno’s different forms, materials and themes.’ — Eugenio Viola

‘Ultimately, Expiro offers a captivating journey through Nepomuceno’s different forms, materials and themes. It is an encounter with long-developed and evolving symbols that the artist has depicted in their many diverse forms. This exhibition reflects her intention to create a project that is not just a static display but is alive and continually moving… She invites us to expand our focus and see this exhibition as a space of constant evolution.’

Maria Nepomuceno was born in 1976 in Rio de Janeiro, where she continues to live and work. Recent exhibitions include the solo presentations Nasci de uma flor at Nichido Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan (2024); Big Bang Boca, Instituto Artium de Cultura, São Paulo, Brazil (2023); Maria Nepomuceno: Dentro e Fora Infinitamente, SCAD Museum of Modern Art, Georgia, USA (2022); Maria Nepomuceno: Refloresta!, The Portico Library, Manchester, UK (2021). Selected group exhibitions include, Acts of Gathering, Eden Projects, Cornwall, UK; Narrative Threads: Fiber Art Today, Moody Center for the Arts, Houston, USA (2023); Forest: Wake This Ground at Arnolfini, Bristol, UK (2022); and My Body, My Rules, Pérez Art Museum, Miami, Florida, USA (2020).

The artist’s work has previously been exhibited at institutions such as Stavanger Art Museum, Norway; Museu de Arte Moderna, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Barbican Center, London, UK; Turner Contemporary, Margate, UK; Norval Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa; Auckland Art Gallery, USA; Daejeon Museum of Art, South Korea; Hudson Valley Center of Contemporary Art, Peekskill, New York, USA and MFA, Boston, USA, among others.

Works by the artist are included in the collections of Museu de Arte da Bahia, Brazil; MFA Boston, USA; Guggenheim Museum, USA; Pérez Art Museum Miami, USA; Rubell Museum, USA, among others.

Acknowledgments

The artist thanks Elia Biagini, Giancarlo Signoretto, Agnese Tegon, Nadja Romain, Eugenio Viola and everyone at Victoria Miro.

We extend our condolences to the family of Giovanni Nicola and the glassmaking community in Murano on his passing on 19 July 2024.