ARTIST STATEMENT

Art allows to see what is before us in a new light that goes beyond limits and prescribed roles. The forms in my Art have evolved from an established artistic tradition into a personal abstract language. The unique variation of color in my work conveys unforeseen perspectives. This process has not only allowed me to evolve artistically, but as an artist I have become both, a more individual and universal being. By bearing witness to this work I want to signal possibilities and offer a guidepost to our unbounded and unfettered potential.

AN ARTIST JOURNEY...

  COLOMBIA   I   NEW YORK   I   PARIS   I   MIAMI

ABOUT 

Multicultural, Citizen of the world, binational US and Colombian nationalities, Maria Isabel Henao Journey's began in Bern- Switzerland where she was born from diplomatic parents and grew up between Switzerland, Italy, UK, France, Colombia and US. After primary school in Rome and Lycee Francais High school in London, she moved to Colombia-Bogota, where she graduated with a major in Political Science in Los Andes University. in 1993 she started to study Art with renowned Colombian artist Master Augusto Ardila.

Soon, drove by her passion for the Arts, in 1996 she moved to New York to attend several Art seminars: Art History in  Silvermine Connecticut, Contemporary Art with Prof. Douglas Maxwell  in NYU-New York, Painting with Prof. Paul Stopforth of Harvard University and finally, between 1996 and 1999, under Prof. Robert Reed, Dir. of Postgraduate Design Yale University-Connecticut.

In her search and development as and artist, in 2002 she moved to Paris where she was selected to participate in a Post-graduate seminar at La Sorbonne-Paris under Michel Sicard until 2005. 

Since then, and inspired by the artistic line of Frank Stella, Sam Francis and Niki de St. Phalle among others, her work has developed in the fields of painting, sculpture, drawing and installation. Strongly influenced  by contemporary Artists and masters, such as Robert Irwin, Dan Flavin, Bill Viola, Lucian Freud, Baselitz, Louise Bourgeois, Annette Messager, Fridda Kahlo, Roy Lichstestein, Christo and more.

Her deep knowledge in Art history led her to find her own self artistic expression stamp. Full of color and emotion, her work is driven by an inner voice that she listens to with great understanding and feeling. 

Masterful and unpredictable, urgent, directed, and powerful, from paintings canvases, wood tree pieces, to sea corals art installations, her special, energetic and abstract tridimensional style is reflected in every art work piece,  where you can find yourself navigating in each one, as a "ship in the sea" discovering her own Journey's stories.

Among her shows and exhibitions her work has been shown  and sold in different countries: at Museum of Modern Art.  Cartagena-Colombia, Universidad Politecnica in Bogota-Colombia, La Sacem in Paris-France, Latin American Artist Exhibitions, Etnia Bruxelles-Belgium  and 140 Boulevard Haussman, Paris-France among other.

Since 2010 she works and lives in booming "Arty city" of Miami- Florida where she actively participates in its cultural life and recently had showed her work at Artwork Partners Gallery, International Group Exhibition, "On the Path to Abstract Liberty," Wynwood-Miami, Simple Steps Solo Exhibitions, among others