Guest Artist: Ricardo Guajardo-Romero
Muse Gallery Philadelphia is proud to present Ancestors—The Eternal Return, a solo painting exhibition of the work by Chilean artist Jacqueline Unanue, inspired by the Altamira caves in Spain, and by El Maule region in Chile. Some of her recent work features colorful large-scale acrylic paintings.
The exhibition at Muse Gallery includes a total of approximately 15 works of her Ancestors series, created during 2023-2024. The series is inspired by her previous trip to study the pre-historic paintings of the Altamira Caves in the Basque country. She was inspired by El Maule region in Chile as well and its rich rock art sites.
“My Ancestors Series symbolizes the ancient and sacred spaces that preserve my connection with my roots and with the ecological wisdom of my ancestors, always present as The Eternal Return.
I began this series by remembering my 1989 trip to study the pre-historic paintings of the Altamira Caves in the Basque country, home of my paternal ancestors. Inspired by that memorable experience I began to paint a large diptych. Remembering the magnificent and mysterious spaces of the cave, I used a palette of earthy colors, as they had been in the past: terracotta, sepia, black, white and dark red. I titled this diptych “Ancestors.”
For this series I was inspired by El Maule region in Chile as well and its rich rock art sites. Through my vibrant palette of acrylic paint I aim to interpret the mystical environment in the solitary mountains of El Maule.
My work springs from a free interpretation of existing rock art signs, as well as signs that arise spontaneously from my ancient memory, generating my own abstract universal mode of communication.”
For this special exhibition, Unanue has invited her husband Ricardo Guajardo-Romero, also an artist and designer, to create some paintings in tribute to his Ancestors as well. He will feature 2 works from his series La Travesía.
“This series is an allegory to my Iberian ancestors who began the great journey to the New World.”
https://www.facebook.com/jacqueline.unanue