Maria Berrio’s large collaged works—comprised of diversely sourced papers, gems, and pigments—depict surrealist narratives that blur biographical memory with South American folklore. Primarily populated with female figures, her lush compositions also feature animals, flowers, and mythical beings set within heavily patterned surroundings. Dichotomies between real and imagined, vastness and limitation color Berrio’s works with a beautiful, bittersweet aura. The result is a kaleidoscopic portal of a woman’s journey into herself, culminating in deep reverence and solidarity for mothers, sisters, children, and the forces of nature.

Maria Berrio received her BFA from Parsons School of Design and her MFA from the School for Visual Arts. She has exhibited nationally at venues in San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, New York City, and Miami. She has also displayed her work internationally in Seoul, Mumbai, Bogota, Tel Aviv, and London.  Most recently she was a recipient of the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program (2015-2016) and the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts Studio Program (2014). Her works have been featured in the Huffington Post, ArtNet, Art News, Artsy, and ArtBeat. Berrio is originally from Bogota, Columbia and currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.