Alicia Paz facts for kids

Alicia Paz is a talented artist who lives in London and shares her art all over the world. She was born in Mexico City. Alicia studied art at several famous schools, including UC Berkeley, the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Goldsmiths College, and the Royal College of Art in London.

Alicia Paz often explores how art can sometimes trick your eye, showing the difference between what looks real and how it's actually made. Her work often combines different ideas and forms, like a mix-and-match puzzle. She loves to show how things can change and transform, especially focusing on women. In her art, a person can seem to have many different sides, always changing and full of surprises.

Paz's paintings are like both portraits (pictures of people) and landscapes (pictures of nature) at the same time. She mixes ideas from classic art history with things you might see in ads or comic books. Her female characters often live in magical, faraway places and blend in with plants and nature. Sometimes, she paints strange figures that look like tree-women or monster-women. These figures might even seem to "weep" paint, with their hair and clothes looking muddy and dripping, as if they came from a colorful, swampy dream world.

In August 2017, Alicia Paz created her first big outdoor sculpture. It was for the Kunstmuseum Kloster Unser Lieben Frauen Magdeburg [de] in Magdeburg, Germany. The sculpture was called Insel der Puppen (which means Island of Dolls). It was made from steel and enamel.

Alicia Paz is also working on a big project. She is exploring the network of women who are important in her life, both personally and professionally. The Arts Council England supports this project. She turned her research into three art shows, each one special for its location and featuring new artwork. The first show was Río y Mar (River and Sea) at the Beecroft Art Gallery in Southend-on-Sea in 2021. This was part of a bigger event called Estuary 2021. Next was River Makers at the Visual Arts Centre in North Lincolnshire, also in 2021. The final show was Juntas (Together) at the Maison de l'Amérique latine [fr] in Paris in early 2022. In 2024, a curator named Bénédicte Delay presented a solo show of Paz's work. It was called Explorations au féminin and took place at the Château de Haroué in Eastern France. This show was a team effort with the Centre des monuments nationaux CMN.

Selected works

Here are some of Alicia Paz's well-known artworks:

• Island of Dolls (Insel der Puppen), 2017: A large outdoor sculpture made of enamel, steel, and concrete. It was made for the Kunstmuseum Kloster Unser Lieben Frauen in Magdeburg.
• L'effrontée, 2011: Made with mixed materials on paper, measuring 74 × 56 cm.
• Trapèze, 2010: An oil, acrylic, and collage painting on canvas, measuring 200 × 160 cm. It is part of the FRAC Languedoc-Roussillon collection.
• When the Machine Stops, 2006: An oil, acrylic, and collage painting on canvas, measuring 130 × 97 cm. It is in the Colección Costantini at the MALBA Museum in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
• Ghosts, 1999: An oil and acrylic painting on canvas, measuring 200 × 160 cm. It is part of the FRAC Île-de-France collection.
• Colossus, 1995: An acrylic painting on canvas, measuring 150 × 120 cm. It is in the FMAC Paris collection.

Exhibitions

Alicia Paz's art has been shown in many places around the world.

Solo exhibitions (selection)

These are shows where only Alicia Paz's art was displayed:

• 2024: Château de Haroué, Alicia Paz - Explorations au féminin
• 2022: Maison de l'Amérique latine [fr], Paris, Juntas
• 2021: Visual Arts Centre, Scunthorpe, River Makers
• 2021: Beecroft Art Gallery, Southend-on-Sea, Río y Mar (River and Sea)
• 2010: LAC Narbonne, in association with FRAC Languedoc-Rousillon for Casanova Forever, Sigean France
• 2007: Unit 2 Gallery, London Metropolitan University, London UK
• 2006: Houldsworth Gallery, London, UK
• 2005: Ruth Benzacar Gallery, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• 2000: Galerie Yvonamor Palix, Paris, France

Group exhibitions (selection)

These are shows where Alicia Paz's art was shown alongside other artists' work:

• 2021: Beecroft Art Gallery, Southend UK, Río y Mar (River and Sea), as part of Estuary 2021
• 2012: Through the Looking Glass, The Agency Gallery, London, UK
• 2011: Round and Round and Round (Part 2), from the FRAC IDF Collection, Parc culturel de Rentilly, France
• 2009: Multiverse, Danielle Arnaud Gallery, London, UK
• 2008: Jerwood Contemporary Painters, Jerwood Space, London, UK
• 2007: Celeste Art Prize, London, UK
• 2007: Incheon Biennale, Incheon, South Korea
• 2006: John Moores 24, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool Biennial, UK
• 2004: EAST International, Norwich, UK
• 2004: Mind the Gap, 10 London Artists, Marseille, France
• 1999: ZAC 99, Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, France
• 1998: Tamayo Museum Biennale, Oaxaca, Mexico

Awards, grants and residencies

Alicia Paz has received many awards and opportunities to work on her art:

• 2022: Cité internationale des arts, Paris (an artist residency)
• 2022: Residency at the Leonora Carrington Museum, Mexico
• 2002: Triangle France, Artist's Residency, Marseilles, France
• 2002: Cité internationale des arts, Artist's Residency in Paris
• 2001: Gasworks Artist's Residency, London, UK
• 2001: Grant from Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, Mexico (a fund for culture and arts)
• 1999: Delfina Studio Trust Residency, London, UK

Collections

Alicia Paz's artworks are part of these important collections:

• Musée d'Art Moderne de Céret, France
• Hanlim Museum, Daejeon, Korea
• FMAC City of Paris, France
• Le Plateau [fr]
• FRAC Languedoc-Roussillon
• Colección Costantini, MALBA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• APT, Mexico City

Further links

• Alicia Paz, Website of the artist
• Uwe Gellner, Annegret Laabs, Jeannette Louie. Alicia Paz - The Garden of Follies. Verlag für Moderne Kunst, Vienna, 2016. ISBN: 9783903004917