Maria Jose Carvallo

Casa Nocturna, 2026, watercolour on paper, 20 x 30 cm, Β£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 CatΓ³lica 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.