Cartography of Elsewhere
A solo exhibition of paintings at MAIA Contemporary (Mexico City, MX)
April 10 - June 8, 2025
Press Release:
“It is an invitation to embark on a journey into imagined territories - maps of places that don't exist in a traditional sense but are deeply felt, remembered, and dreamed. By exploring the inner landscapes of our unconscious, we delve into the intricate interplay of memory and imagination. Through this journey, we are taken through themes of displacement and belonging as we seek to understand our place in the world.
Along the way, we embrace the mystery and the thrill of exploration, inviting reflection on the unseen dimensions of our experiences. As we navigate this terrain, we find ourselves mapping the unseen—charting dreamscapes, spiritual journeys, and the liminal spaces that exist between reality and the unconscious.
Margaret's creative process is deeply influenced by her connections to place and landscape, most recently the high desert and forests of New Mexico where she lives and works, and the jungles and coastlines of Mexico where she previously lived and returns to annually to study and paint from. These environments inspire her to make art that celebrates the magic of creation and the interconnectedness of all life.
Margaret infuses her oil paints with raw materials of collected earth, sand, and minerals - small amounts she brings home from remote places that feel holy to her. She makes abstract underpaintings by tossing earth, sand, mica, turmeric, chili, plant, and temple oils on her canvases before beginning to add oil paint and recognizable imagery to the work. The process is a transformative ritual where rich textures and scents make the studio into a space of environmental intimacy.
Cartography of Elsewhere invites the viewer to dive into the depths and engage with personal and yet-to-be-written mythologies, stepping into ephemeral moments that resonate beyond the constraints of time. To dive into the deeper water of the unconscious, suggesting depths yet to be explored.”
