AMSTERDAM.- Annet Gelink Gallery announced the representation of Rinella Alfonso.

Alfonso studied at Instituto Buena Bista in Curaçao and Fine Arts at Royal Academy of Art, The Hague (NL), before becoming a resident at De Ateliers in Amsterdam in 2019. In 2021 she received the Royal Prize for Painting, for which she was also nominated a year before. Alfonso has exhibited both internationally and nationally. Recent solo exhibitions include Paul Soto, New York, USA (2023), Annet Gelink Gallery, Amsterdam, NL (2022), Paul Soto, Los Angeles, USA (2022), and Project Native Informant, London, UK (2022).

In her paintings, Alfonso creates mystical worlds by placing everyday objects in stark fantasy environments. These objects are often regarded as disposable and worthless, yet bear meaning in Alfonso’s memories of people and places, as well as they hold great significance in the interconnectivity of people in Curaçao and the Caribbean. Themes such as nostalgia and connection are recurrent in her work.

Alfonso's work was first presented at the gallery's project space, The Bakery, in 2022, and later in the group show A bee's wing dropping onto your cheek, in 2023.

Annet Gelink Gallery also announced Rinella Alfonso's first solo exhibition. The opening takes place on April 13 and the exhibition runs until May 25.