Antonia De Los Rios

Antonia De Los Rios graduated from Universidad Nacional de Colombia with a BA in 2002 and in 2016 she finished her degree in horticulture at the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland. As an horticulturalist, animal and plant life are a predominant feature of her art work. Areas of interest include reproduction, death and cycles of life. The motif of the volcano and the imagery of social/political events (especially in her home country of Colombia) serve as metaphors for processes of destruction and renewal. Other important elements come from the animal world, especially Equine and Arthropod figures.

Current paintings are executed in oil and pencil on paper. Many pieces developed from an intuitive and unstructured process of layering and removing elements of colour until a satisfying 'ground' is achieved. Eventually, a setting or subject is revealed or suggested and this becomes an opportunity to explore animal and natural forms. The aim is never to just represent these subjects in an academic or naturalistic manner; this imagery is used to convey states of mind. She is also revisiting other types of processes like the preserving of small, found creatures. These objects are ‘stills’ that expose and pause the breakdown of matter. The consolidation of new forms provide a starting point to explore existential questions concerning oneself and the world.

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