MARIA JOSÉ CHICA
Resume
Bogotá, Colombia.
María José Chica was born and continues to base her practice in Bogotá, Colombia. Her work unites geology, archaeology and art, drawing parallels between the layers of the Earth and the history of human existence. A meditation on the physical and conceptual accumulation of time, it reveals the interconnectedness between past, present and future. Her work has come to incorporate natural pigments from soils and minerals collected from diverse geographies, reflecting a reverence for the natural world, as well as resonating with the spirit of place and the vastness of geological time.
Chica received her BFA from the National University of Colombia, Bogota, Colombia, and her MFA from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London, UK. She has exhibited with institutions internationally, including the Material Art Fair in Mexico City, the Untitled Art Fair in Miami, and Gallería el Museo in Bogotá, among others.
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Maria José Chica explores the ways in which cultural and geographic roots intertwine to shape personal identity as part of the collaborative cross-cultural exhibition “Interlace”. This exhibition offers a dynamic dialogue between Latin American heritage and the lived realities of migration, weaving together narratives of belonging, transformation and cultural exchange. By bringing Chica's work from SKETCH Gallery in Bogotá to CAM Galería in Mexico City, she contributes a unique perspective, merging temporal and terrestrial layers to reflect on the intersection of history, identity and place.
Maria José Chica, based in Bogotá, Colombia, is a painter deeply committed to examining the temporal and material compounds that define identity. Her practice is inspired by the geological and archaeological transformations of landscapes, juxtaposing the physical layers of the land with human histories. Using archival images, natural pigments and ambiguous compositions, Chica's work embodies a profound meditation on the continuity between past and present. Through her painterly explorations, she seeks to dissolve linear conceptions of time, revealing how histories, like landscapes, are constructed from accumulation and erosion.