Soma
Nina Gonzalez-Park
Celia Mora
Curated by Adela Blanco
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Blanco Gallery is pleased to present Soma, an exhibition exploring the intricate relationship between bodies and their surrounding space. Curated by Adela Blanco, this showcase features work by London-based artists Nina Gonzalez-Park and Celia Mora.
Soma, derived from the Greek word for body, hints at the exhibition's central theme. Through a series of paintings and sculptures, Gonzalez-Park and Mora invite us to contemplate the body as a fragmented, mutable object, exploring both human bodies and abstract, organic shapes. The paintings depict body parts interacting with objects in various spaces and engaging in dialogue with the sculptures, which themselves represent modular, abstract bodies emerging from the surface.
The exhibition is presented in a former Victorian public toilet located in Brunswick Park, creating an intimate and accessible space. This collaboration with Outhouse Gallery, an independent, artist-run space in Brunswick Park, Camberwell, reflects the gallery's mission to be open, public, and accessible to both facilitators and visitors.
The exhibition is open from the 29th of October - 10th of November
at Outhouse Gallery
SE5 7RH, Brunswick Park,
London,
Opening Tuesday 29th of October
18:00 - 21:00
The Artists
Nina Gonzalez-Park
Nina is a swimmer between worlds, constantly challenging our preconceptions of disciplines, cultures, and ideologies. She originally studied neuroscience in Boston, which in itself is a multimodal discipline, integrating mathematical modeling, cognitive psychology, and translational research of neurodegenerative diseases all under one umbrella. After her studies, Nina continued on the scientific track as a clinical researcher until 2021, when she moved to London and obtained her MA in Art & Science at Central Saint Martins.
Nina’s artistic practice is constantly diverging and converging, in flux and manifesting across different mediums. She approaches metalwork through a tactile and mathematical lens, where she enjoys the challenge of turning a rigid, unbending material into fluid, organic objects through welding. She brings out a voluptuousness and circularity from welded steel, sparking the imagination. These objects traverse the dimensions of space and time. Nina’s transfiguration of materials in distinct contexts creates a sense of fascination, questioning the perceptions influenced by society’s mirror.
Celia Mora
Celia Mora is drawn to the human figure as a vehicle for exploring her intended themes. Having grounded her painting practice in classical techniques during her studies in Spain, she relocated to London in 2017 to continue her training at Camberwell College of Arts. The juxtaposition of these distinct artistic environments, one steeped in historical form, the other focused on contemporary expression, has prompted a rigorous interrogation of her work. Over time, she has developed a unique artistic voice centred on the painted figure within a conceptual framework. Enrolling in the MA programme at the Royal College of Arts in 2023 provided a catalyst for further technical and conceptual development.
Since the onset of the pandemic, Celia has consistently employed her partner as a subject, progressing from rapid-fire live sketches to carefully staged photographic sessions that capture raw and vulnerable bodily states. This process has offered a means of exploring the dynamics of their relationship, where traditional gender roles are inverted through the act of painting. She embraces the role of the artist while her partner assumes the position of the objectified muse. Mora's work delves into the complex interplay between comfort and consent, love and control, the private and the public, using the body as a conduit for questioning the nature of the gaze.