El Dorado

This large-scale collage by the Colombian-born artist María Berrío, is part of a series that delves into the importance of rituals, and how they have been emptied of meaning over time. Berrío brings us into a multi-layered world, both physically and conceptually. She effectively paints with paper, applying carefully cut out pieces of Japanese paper onto canvas. The composition weaves together the contemporary and the historical, drawing us into a scene that could be both real or imagined, even simultaneously. As the woman at left lies as if in a trance, some figures pay close attention to her while others are completely unaware of the scene at hand. Yet, the market scene bustles with activity, making space for ritual in spite of it all.