María Berrío Faces a Fractured World

The nine large-scale collaged paintings in María Berrío’s solo exhibition, ‘The End of Ritual’, depict claustrophobic scenes in which perspectives appear distorted, angles are flattened, and figures have skewed proportions. The artist constructs intricate collaged surfaces by splicing and layering delicate Japanese paper, painting sections in watercolour and occasionally drawing over the paper with charcoal to form seamless, mixed-media works. The meticulous process by which Berrío carefully builds up images results in compositions that collate fragmented memories, identities and histories. 

For the majority of the paintings in this exhibition, the artist collaborated with members of the New York-based dance collective GALLIM. Berrío provided costumes for the troupe – including the eerily lifelike cat masks depicted in several canvases – and the dancers were photographed whilst they performed to provide reference material for her paintings. The subjects’ free, expressive gestures are captured at awkward angles in paintings such as Cheyava Falls (all works 2024), where their unnatural poses hint at a sense of forced performance, reflecting on the pressure to conform in a space where personal agency is often compromised. Several works also contain characters who stare straight out at the viewer: in The Spectators, for instance, a dancer trying on a costume in a garment factory lifts her mask to meet our gaze. In the background, under the vigilant eye of a male supervisor, rows of women seamstresses watch on. Toying with the relationship between audience and spectator, Berrío asks what it means to watch and to be watched. 

Several works, including Elysium Mons and Anseris Mons, are titled after volcanoes located on Mars. Both paintings depict subjects whose faces – when not hidden under masks – are almost indiscernible amidst their intricately patterned costumes and heavy stage makeup. With her choice of titles for these works, Berrío seems to draw our attention to the insignificance of humanity in relation to the immensity of the cosmos, reminding us of our humble position within a vast, unpredictable universe. The figures’ layered, fragmented garments resemble shifting topographies – an effect compounded by the artist’s use of disjointed perspectives, which pull us into the destabilized worlds she portrays. The delicate materials Berrío applies to her canvases not only contrast sharply with her chaotic compositions but also speak to the vulnerability of humanity and the environment. These works are metaphors for survival, piecing together fragments to make sense of a broken world.

Subverting the Spanish conquistadors’ dream of the mythical South American city of gold, Berrío’s El Dorado depicts a market scene rich with life but devoid of material treasure that presents an alternative perspective on value. In the foreground, a figure serves food from a trolley. To the right, groups of children play games while casually dressed adults relax and socialize. To the left, at an obtuse angle, a woman in an elaborate, expensive-looking outfit reclines awkwardly on a chair. The juxtaposition of these various characters – in terms of both composition and appearance – invokes the power imbalance associated with societal hierarchies and highlights the dehumanizing aspects of materialism. For Berrío, it seems, wealth lies in human connection, not in gold.     

Capturing moments of resilience and transformation, Berrío’s striking paintings celebrate the ability of communities to regroup in the face of chaos. At a time when political structures are crumbling, ‘The End of Ritual’ is a reminder that agency can be reclaimed, even in the midst of disorder. 

María Berrío’s ‘The End of Ritual’ is on view at Victoria Miro, London, until 18 January 2025

^{Main image: María Berrío, Anseris Mons (detail), 2024, collage with Japanese papers and watercolour paint on linen, 1.5 × 1.8 m. Courtesy: Victoria Miro and © María Berrío}