Maria Paz

Artworks

Buscando Tus Olas, 2021. Stoneware and glaze. Courtesy of the artist and pt.2 Gallery.

The Underworld, 2021. Stoneware and glaze. Courtesy of the artist and pt.2 Gallery.

EN TI, EN MI, 2021. Stoneware and glaze. Courtesy of the artist and pt.2 Gallery.

“Healing and empowerment are at the center of my practice. I’ve dedicated the past six years of my life to healing and I think that is political engagement because telling my story and my ancestors’ stories is an act of resistance.”—Maria Paz

About the Artist

Maria Paz is a self-taught Latinx sculptor born in Quilpue, Chile and based in Oakland, California. Her work explores the bond broken with her home country and how this duality of identity has shaped her experience as an immigrant in the United States. 

Her somewhat irregular forms are vessels for the emotional and spiritual connections to her past, holding memories of her childhood and the absorbed experiences of her family’s immigration. She often incorporates quotes from her grandparents, symbols of Chilean identity, and throngs of angels.

Recently, Paz’s work has been exhibited at Di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Jose ICA, and pt. 2 Gallery in Oakland. She was recently awarded the Bed Stuy Arts Residency in New York and is currently preparing for a solo exhibition at Freehouse Gallery in London opening Spring 2022.