Maria Paula Suarez at the Colombian Consulate in New York City.

Maria Paula Suarez held a solo exhibition at the Colombian Consulate in New York City in May.

We are ecstatic to share with our community that Maria Paula Suarez, one of the artists represented by Catalysta, held a solo exhibition at the Colombian Consulate in New York City in May. Consul General Andres Mejia along with Maria Juliana Saenz, General Consul of Cultural Affairs recently started a new initiative aimed at promoting Colombian culture in New York City being Suarez the inaugural artist of the initiative.

Suarez created the show in collaboration with the Argentinian Curator Montserrat Miranda Ayejes, and with the support sponsors such as Sotheby’s Institute of Art, the Association of Friends of the National Museum of Colombia and Galeria Otros 360.

Titled “Collecting Words,” the show explored how Maria Paula leverages language as a recurring theme across three main series: Bitácora de pensamientos (que solo entiendo yo), where the artist embroiders words that allude to romance, giving love a tactile representation. To Remain in existence, where the artist “erases” portions of poems and, in doing so, creates new meanings by forming sentences with the remaining words. Memory Threads, where the artist juxtaposes Spanish and English to highlight the duality she feels in her everyday life.

More importantly, as Montserrat describes “These works move us because Suarez welcomes us into her inner world, a world that emits freshness. By writing, she gives us the chance to understand what happens to her or interest her. Words help us create, and, in María Paula’s case, words create works of art.”

For us at Catalysta, what’s most notable about “Collecting Words” is that it allows visitors to understand how Suarez explores, expands, transforms, and creates different experiences/feelings through the use of language as a common theme across different series of her work. Moreover, the artworks across series feel familiar, there’s a connecting thread. (After all, each series approaches language through embroidery on paper as a medium).

It’s worth highlighting the distinct qualities that make each series unique: Her embroidery displays a high level of attention to detail, as she sews specific words to honor them, or uses the thread as a resource to obliterate pre-written texts. The technique is precise, it leaves room for each viewer to interpret it based on their own experiences.

Furthermore, words have an important place in helping us make sense of how we communicate and tell our own stories, which is so important for communities abroad. We’re proud to represent Maria Paula Suarez broadening the market she has built in Colombia and we will continue building for Latin American artists to continue amplifying their voices beyond borders.

Currently Ms. Suarez is working on her next show, titled Emotional Vocabulary, at Miyako Yoshinaga Gallery in New York City in august. Reach out for more information about the show.