Artist Hilda Palafox Convinces Emotional Depth Out Of Body Contortions And Distorted Size — Colossal

Art
#Hilda Palafox #painting #women
July 11, 2023
Grace Ebert
“Way Back” (2022), oil on linen, 47 6/25 × 35 43/100 × 49 inches framed. All images courtesy of Proyectos Monclova, © Hila Palafox, shared with permission
“A woman’s braid, to me, has a very powerful meaning,” she says Hilda Palafox. “It symbolizes connecting, building, recognizing, changing and strengthening. And I consider the act of weaving something very intimate, very personal and universal at the same time.
Women gathering, considering the size and shape of their forms, or engaging in solitary activities are common in Palafox’s works: one figure climbs a ladder from which new plant life sprouts, others balance bowls precariously on their limbs , and another leans over to her toes, a table strapped to her back with bright red rope.
Working primarily in oil paint on large canvases, the Mexico City-based artist imagines a matriarchal world where women are free to explore the innermost recesses of their psyches and stronger together. Their long, substantial limbs, large hands and supple curves are repositories of Palafox’s interests. « I’ve always thought of the body as a vessel through which we experience the world and emotions and through which we express ourselves and manifest life, » she shares. « I try to convey some concerns that travel from a very personal place to a universal connection point. »
Influenced by her background in graphic design, Palafox’s textured paintings are intuitive and created stroke by stroke, echoing the act of braiding hair strand by strand. “This is very important to me, and this is also why I like simple and clean compositions with some hint of symbolism, where the body language of these beings is the protagonist and where a door can also be opened so that the viewer can finish building the narrative,” he says.
Palafox is represented by Monclova projectsand you can find more of his work both on canvas and wall Instagram.

“Here and now” (2022), oil on linen, 65.43 x 49.72 x 1.57 inches framed

« Where will he go? » (2022), oil on linen, 49.72 x 37.87 x 1.57 in. framed

Left: « A Matter of Time II, » oil on linen, 47.24 x 39.37 inches. Right: “A Matter of Time III,” oil on linen, 47.36 x 39.37 x 0.98 inches

“Portal II” (2022), oil on linen, 47 1/4 × 35 3/8 inches. Image courtesy of Hashimoto Contemporary

“Maybe, one day” (2022), oil on linen, 65.55 x 49.8 x 1.77 inches framed

“One More Wish on Fire” (2022), oil on linen, 65.55 x 49.8 x 1.77 inches framed

“In that short moment” (2022), oil on linen, 64.96 x 49.21 x 1.61 inches framed
#Hilda Palafox #painting #women
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