Maria Jose Carvallo
Casa Nocturna, 2026, watercolour on paper, 20 x 30 cm, £312
About this work:
This work depicts two bodies enclosed within a white shape beneath a blurred, starry night sky. The bodies form a house that is simultaneously protective and vulnerable, soft and subtle, incomplete and under strain. The image makes me think about creating a home far from home, and about caring and belonging. It contrasts the restrictive interior light with the openness and vastness of the exterior.
In my work, I explore in-depth questions about how to inhabit a body and the multiplicity of acts of self-representation this entails. My work aims to facilitate a safe entry into a seemingly dystopian world, inviting the viewer to consider experiences and feelings that are uncanny, yet deeply human and meaningful at the same time.
About the Artist:
Maria Jose Carvallo (b. 1987, Santiago, Chile) is based in Bristol, UK. She graduated from Universidad Católica of Chile, School of Psychology in 2011 and School of Art in 2013, studying in Licentiate in Psychology and a BA in Fine Art respectively. She completed an MA in Fine Art at the Chelsea College of Arts in 2015, the recipient of CONICYT, a Chilean Government Scholarship for international postgraduate studies.
Carvallo has exhibited in Chile, UK, Italy, and China.