NEW YORK, NY.- Anna Zorina Gallery opened Apparitions, Alonsa Guevara’s third solo exhibition with the Gallery. In her latest bodies of work, Guevara continues her celebration of the natural world, this time exploring the mysterious connection of human existence to the cosmic energy of the universe. In these works, the artist represents her investigations into states of higher consciousness through depicting the patterns, shapes, and images that have appeared in the artist’s dreams and meditations. These altered states are presented in otherworldly paintings, composed of flora and fauna that form larger kaleidoscopic patterns. Through her paintings, Guevara endeavors to elevate the everyday fruit, flower, or fauna into the realm of the divine.
The three main pieces in the show are called "Crowns" and depict large deified beings adorned in abundant headpieces made of organic materials such as leaves, flowers, fruits and feathers. The figures are ethereal, imposing, and inviting. Presented as surreal manifestations of dreams, each work features essential symbolic elements to be interpreted and made personal by the viewer. The three goddess-like figures emerge from a starry night landscape, emphasizing the oneiric quality of the imagined world they inhabit. In "Nectar Crown," the shapes of eyes appear throughout the canvas as a powerful symbol of the quest for wisdom, divine knowledge, the need for protection and guidance from a higher power. Guevara refers to symbolism from a wide range of cultures spanning the globe over time as a way of honoring the universal drive to connect with a higher unifying power.
The "Callings" series is comprised of tondo paintings that contain natural elements floating on the surface. The inspiration for these pieces came after the COVID-19 crisis started. From Brooklyn, Guevara moved to the Catskill Mountains, where nature was not only her refuge but, most importantly, a mind and body savior. The ideas, designs, and elements of each of these pieces came intuitively from the unconscious mind. The circular designs of interwoven flora and fauna explore ideas of abundance, fertility, never-ending cycles of life, and interconnection between all beings. The objects within the "Calling" pieces are distributed like a mandala to create a composition that carries both balance and movement within the static two-dimensional surface, pulling the attention towards the center of the piece. Guevara aims to enlighten for the viewer a mix of emotions fluctuating between attraction, calm, ambiguity, and empowerment.
Alonsa Guevara (b. 1986, Rancagua, Chile) lives and works in New York. She received her BFA from Catholic University of Chile in Santiago and MFA from New York Academy of Art in New York City. The artist has exhibited widely in international shows including the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC; Forth Works Art, Fort Worth, Texas and Cheng Xi Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, China. Awards and residencies include the Eric Fischl ’66 Artist-in-Residence Teaching Program at West Nottingham Academy, the Terra Foundation Residency in Giverny, France, the Michele and Timothy Barakett Scholarship, as well as the Elizabeth Greenshields Grant.
