WorkArt & Culture

Marina Esmeraldo's murals and wooden sculptures made from a 'snake eats its tail' process

These colourful murals, paintings and wooden sculptures by multidisciplinary artist Marina Esmeraldo are based on memories of her travels and follow what she describes as a "snake eats its tail" process.

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All images courtesy of the artist. Photography by Teresa Marinh

That basically means there are different stages to her work – each one informing the next. She begins with small flat paintings, which inspire paper constructions, which in turn lead to both her wooden sculptures and their flat relief versions. "In the wooden sculptures, there is a specific logic for each angle, joint and negative space, a direct result from the experimental paper constructions," Marina explains.

Currently on show at The While Wall gallery in Barcelona, Genius Loci – which in Latin means "the spirit of places" – captures the Brazilian's wanderlust, a recurring theme in her work.

"Through the abstract interpretation of the places of my memories, I created an installation combining mural painting and relief works, as well as a collection of wooden sculptures," Marina explains. "The result is a celebration of the merging of my present as an artist with my past as an architect, and my passion for the built space."

You can discover more about the Brazilian artist at marinaesmeraldo.com.

Hand reaching towards colourful abstract paintings arranged on a wooden surface, showing Marina Esmeraldo's geometric compositions with layered shapes in red, blue, green and pink tones
Woman with curly dark hair touching a colourful abstract wooden relief sculpture featuring geometric shapes in yellow, red, purple and brown with white outlines
Hand holding a paintbrush applying gold paint to a geometric mural composed of navy blue, yellow, cream and pink sections
Artist paints colourful vertical stripes in shades of red, yellow, blue and purple on a white wall
Colourful abstract wooden sculpture by Marina Esmeraldo featuring geometric shapes in red, yellow, blue and purple, displayed on a wooden bench in a gallery space
Marina Esmeraldo arranges white paper construction pieces on a wooden table alongside colourful geometric paper forms in yellow and magenta
Colourful wooden sculpture by Marina Esmeraldo featuring red, pink and blue geometric forms with a white cutout silhouette, demonstrating spatial relationships and negative space
Colourful wooden sculpture by Marina Esmeraldo featuring geometric shapes in red, pink, blue, yellow and orange arranged in an abstract composition
Abstract wooden sculpture with red and orange exterior panels and a blue cut-out form creating negative space in the centre
Colourful wooden sculpture by Marina Esmeraldo featuring yellow and red rectangular forms with a brown arched opening and bright pink interior section
Colourful geometric wooden sculpture with blue, red, coral and dark brown sections featuring stepped forms and a white circular opening
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