Maria Paz
Maria Paz (b.1989 Quilpue, Chile) is a self-taught Latinx sculptor 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. Through the painting of vibrant pictorial scenes on ceramic forms, Paz pays homage to the palette of Latin America while confronting her personal history. By painting visions of Chile—her ancestors and her higher self —Paz’s sculptures confront this fundamental question: Does my pain shape me or do I shape it?
Recently, Paz’s work has been exhibited at Pt. 2 Gallery (Oakland, CA), Southern Exposure (San Francisco, CA), Something Gallery (London, U.K.), and New Image Art (Los Angeles, CA). She was a finalist for the 2019-2020 TOSA Studio Award and was recently featured on KQED’s Rightnowish segment and has held workshops at the Contemporary Jewish Museum (San Francisco, CA). Paz is currently preparing for a solo exhibition at Pt. 2 Gallery in Oakland, CA opening August 2020. She will be exhibiting new works at Personal Alchemy, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Arts opening March, 2020 and was recently awarded the Bed Stuy Arts Residency in Brooklyn, New York.