Best known for her ongoing photographic series in which she explores the visual juxtaposition of her painted body with the patterns and surface below it.
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Cecilia ParedesThe Dream, 2022Photo performance - photographic print on photographic paper adhered to dibond47.25 x 47.25 in
119.9 x 119.9 cmEd. 2 of 7View more details -
Cecilia ParedesDawn, 2005Photograph47 1/4 x 47 1/4 in
120 x 120 cmAPView more details -
Cecilia ParedesBird taking a restPhotograph51 1/8 x 47 1/4 in
130 x 120 cmAPView more details
Cecilia Paredes uses ethereal "photo performances" to investigate the issue of identity. She blends in with the decoration by hiding her body against gorgeously patterned backdrops. Paredes explores the idea of how our surroundings shape who we are and forges her own identity in reference to the region of the world in which she lives by showing herself as a part of the landscape.
Paredes was born in Lima, Peru, a nation whose ancient cultures valued environment. She frequently blends seamlessly with the surrounding vegetation. The artist appears to be having a private discussion with nature because of the flowing lines of greenery and the vibrant colors that adorn the background and her body. The many layers of Cecilia's work also include references to animals, different items, and cloth. She seems to be completely engrossed in her surroundings in her photos, making it difficult to discern where her body stops.
Through a combination of photography and sculpture recreations, the artist creates different identities based on themes found in nature, such as transition, origins, camouflage, and her own body. Her body of work serves as a constant reminder to the audience that nature is all around them and that humans are just one of its elements, of which the body is a pure embodiment.
She attended Cambridge Arts in the UK and the Catholic University of Lima to pursue her fine arts education. She was granted admission to the Bellagio Center Residency Program by The Rockefeller Foundation in 1998. From 1998 until 2004, Paredes resided and worked in Costa Rica. In 2005, he represented the nation at the 51st Venice Biennial. She now divides her time between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Lima, Peru.
Cecilia Paredes won the 2014 International Award for Artistic Excellence at the Pingyao International Festival of Photography, as well as the 2022 Toro Iberoamerican Honor Prize in Zamora, Spain. With solo exhibitions at prestigious institutions like the Museum of Navarra, MUN, Pamplona, Spain; the Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach, CA; the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Russia; and the Costa Rica Museum of Art, among others, she has had numerous exhibitions throughout North, South, and Central America, Asia, Australia, and Europe. Many institutions, including the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas; the San Antonio Museum of Art in Texas; the Museum of Contemporary Art in Panama; and the Hood Museum of Art in New Hampshire, have her work on display.