Hake House of Art is pleased to present Palimpsest, a solo exhibition by Marisabel Gonzalez, showcasing the artist’s characteristic paintings accompanied by various exhibition-specific installations produced over the past year, exploring the notions of “palimpsest,” delving into the concept of reusing and repurposing materials, texts, thoughts, processes, layering and studying traces of the past.
Marisabel Gonzalez is a contemporary artist exploring visual storytelling through abstract painting, emphasizing the emotional dimensions of human nature, the psychological impact of color, and the potential of color as a powerful means of communication. Gonzalez’s vibrant and lively abstract works are marked by the use of vivid colors, expressive mark-making, gestural interventions, and the incorporation of text—the latter being a direct incentive for the exhibition in question. At the root of her artistic practice, one encounters visual analogies with her background in medical imaging, as the mark-making is influenced by the echo patterns of an ultrasound monitor and the ongoing correlation between the process of painting and medical imaging layering the composition or image by the manner of a question-and-answer approach.
With Palimpsest, Gonzalez’s personal approach of layering thoughts, emotions, and narratives continues, approaching her process and artistic journey from a different and profoundly introspective angle. A palimpsest is a manuscript page that has been reused after its original text has been scraped or washed off in times when parchment was scarce. However, this process of writing and erasure left its traces, enabling historians to study and reconstruct lost words and reflect the layered history of the material object. If the medium is the message, the palimpsest-esque process of the medium both obstructs, reveals, and enrichens this message. Lost and recycled personal writings—phrases, memories, and traditions written down with the intent to remember them—formed the starting point for a series of works, exploring the concept of layering these mémoires through collage and text. A profound exploration of personal and private narratives interwoven with layers of text.
In her paintings, the text is rich and visible, yet not too obvious or even readable. Gonzalez obscures the text, scraped, wiped out, deleted, and rewritten to imbue the artworks with a sense of intimacy and depth, disguising private information. The pictures are reminiscent of the hazy nature of memories and how particular recollections appear in our minds. Even more, some paintings incorporate collage elements such as stitches and bandages composed of discarded canvases and fabric, serving as poignant memento mori, symbolizing her previous life as a doctor, but also reflecting the passage of time in general, remembrance and oblivion, and the transformative nature her journey. An exemplary piece is, of course, Manifesto, an eight-meter scroll hanging from the wall onto the floor. The palimpsest-analogy is enforced not only by the monumental scroll but also by her transformative artistic journey, containing every single artist statement she wrote over the years, examining her personal development and the universal notion of change in art and artistry. As a result, one must also consider the broader sense of the term palimpsest and its metaphorical use in various fields—think of architecture, archaeology, forensic science, and art, denoting an object that has been used and altered over time, bearing visible layers of its history and transformations. Think of collage and decollage throughout art history, where construction necessitates destruction—think of various palimpsest references in the works of Anton Unai, Jacques Villegle, and Kurt Schwitters.
Besides artistic reflection, Gonzalez studies her own personal traces and history, including her migration process from which she has been distancing herself as a form of protection against feelings of longing and nostalgia. By doing so, the Venezuelan-born artist has been able to reconnect with her past, embracing acceptance and contentment. Numerous works throughout the show are a visual representation of her continuous process of self-reinvention as an immigrant, a journey that has shaped both her professional and personal life. Think of her Totem wood sculptures—a project she had temporarily set aside but reinvigorated through her fascination and examination of the reuse of materials—weaving together personal connections with cultural symbolism. A totem represents one’s strengths and weaknesses but also connects with their kinship. They portray personality, identity, and family. Crafted from discarded construction wood slabs and boards, each totem carries native symbolism and a profound exploration of her personal journey and persona. Ultimately, the palimpsest informs us of a past reality, reflecting its history—a layered and introspective exploration of memory, identity, and the transformative power of self-exploration.
Marisabel Gonzalez was born in 1973 in Caracas, Venezuela, and currently resides and works in Sydney, Australia. She studied Drawing and Painting (2002) at the Armando Reveron National Art School in Caracas, Venezuela; Drawing and Oil Painting (2003) at the Weston Art Institute in Weston, Florida, the United States of America; Mixed Media Painting (2013) at the Ewart Art School and Gallery in Sydney, Australia; Painting (2016) at the National Art School in Sydney, Australia; and Art History and Appreciation (2017) at the Art Institute in Sydney, Australia. Gonzalez also obtained the title of Doctor of Medicine (2001) at the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas, Venezuela. Notable exhibitions include solo presentations at the Curl Curl Creative Space (2020) in Sydney, Australia, and Arianne Paffrath (2017) in Düsseldorf, Germany, accompanied by group shows at the Parliament House of NSW (2019) in Sydney, Australia; the Manly Art Gallery and Museum (2019) in Sydney, Australia; ASD (2017) in Den Haag, the Netherlands; and the Sydney Breast Cancer Institute (2016) in Sydney, Australia; to name just a few. Gonzalez has received various honors over the past eight years in Sydney, encompassing two selections for the Warringah Creative Space Residency (2015 & 2016), three selections as the artist-in-residence at the Bushwick South Studio Residency Program (2016, 2017 & 2019), a selection as a finalist for Thirty by Thirty (2016), two selections as a finalist for the Bluethumb Art Prize (2020 & 2021), and most recently a selection as a finalist for the Paddington Art Prize (2021). As a result, her works feature in various public collections, encompassing the Barclays Private Bank in Sydney, Australia; the Stiftung Kleine Kunstdialog West/Ost in Düsseldorf, Germany; the Axicorp Corporate Collections in Singapore and London, the United Kingdom and various private collections across the globe.
The exhibition runs from Thursday, August 31, until Monday, September 4, 2023, from 10 AM until 4 PM, at Hake House of Art, 1/275 Harbord Rd, Dee Why NSW 2099, Australia. The official and festive opening is scheduled on Friday, September 1, at 6 PM, followed by an interview moderated by artist Kathrin Longhurst on Saturday, September 2, 2023.
by Julien Delagrange (Art historian—Artistic director of Contemporary Art Issue, Belgium)
