Alicia Paz facts for kids

Alicia Paz is a talented artist who lives in London but shares her art all over the world. She was born in Mexico City and 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's art often explores how things can look real but also be a bit like a trick or an illusion. She likes to show how art can be both true and imaginative at the same time. Her work often mixes different ideas and styles, like a puzzle coming together. She especially focuses on women in her paintings, showing them as strong, changing, and sometimes a bit mysterious.

Her paintings are like a mix of portraits (pictures of people) and landscapes (pictures of nature). She combines ideas from old, classic paintings with things you might see in advertisements or comic books today. In her art, women often appear in magical or unusual natural settings, sometimes even blending with plants or trees. You might see figures that look like they are part plant or animal, with paint dripping from them as if they just came out of a colorful, dreamy swamp!

In 2017, Alicia Paz created her first big public sculpture called Insel der Puppen (which means Island of Dolls). It was made of steel and enamel and was placed at the Kunstmuseum Kloster Unser Lieben Frauen in Magdeburg, Germany.

Alicia Paz has also been working on a special project where she explores the network of women who have been important in her life and career. This project has been supported by the Arts Council England. She turned her research into three art shows, each one unique to its location. The first show was called Río y Mar (River and Sea) at the Beecroft Art Gallery in Southend-on-Sea in 2021. Then came 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 in Paris in early 2022. More recently, in 2024, her work was shown in a solo exhibition called Explorations au féminin at the Château de Haroué in France.

Selected Artworks

Here are some of Alicia Paz's notable artworks:

• Island of Dolls (Insel der Puppen), 2017: A large outdoor sculpture made of steel and concrete for a museum in Magdeburg.
• L'effrontée, 2011: A mixed media piece on paper.
• Trapèze, 2010: A painting using oil, acrylic, and collage on canvas. This piece is part of the FRAC Languedoc-Roussillon collection.
• When the Machine Stops, 2006: A painting with oil, acrylic, and collage on canvas. It's in the Colección Costantini at the MALBA Museum in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
• Ghosts, 1999: An oil and acrylic painting on canvas, part of the FRAC Île-de-France collection.
• Colossus, 1995: An acrylic painting on canvas, part of the FMAC Paris collection.

Exhibitions

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

Solo Exhibitions

She has had many solo shows, meaning her art was the only art on display. Some of these include:

• 2024: Château de Haroué, France, for Alicia Paz - Explorations au féminin.
• 2022: Maison de l'Amérique latine, Paris, France, for Juntas.
• 2021: Visual Arts Centre, Scunthorpe, UK, for River Makers.
• 2021: Beecroft Art Gallery, Southend-on-Sea, UK, for Río y Mar (River and Sea).
• 2010: LAC Narbonne, France, for Casanova Forever.

Group Exhibitions

She has also participated in many group shows, where her art was shown alongside other artists' work. Some of these include:

• 2021: Beecroft Art Gallery, Southend, UK, for Río y Mar (River and Sea), as part of Estuary 2021.
• 2012: The Agency Gallery, London, UK, for Through the Looking Glass.
• 2008: Jerwood Space, London, UK, for Jerwood Contemporary Painters.
• 2006: Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool Biennial, UK, for John Moores 24.
• 2004: Norwich, UK, for EAST International.
• 1999: Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, France, for ZAC 99.
• 1998: Tamayo Museum Biennale, Oaxaca, Mexico.

Awards and Support

Artists often receive awards, grants (money to help them create art), and residencies (places where they can live and work for a period). Alicia Paz has received several:

• 2022: She was at the Cité internationale des arts in Paris and had a residency at the Leonora Carrington Museum in Mexico.
• 2002: She had an Artist's Residency at Triangle France in Marseilles and another at the Cité internationale des arts in Paris.
• 2001: She had a residency at Gasworks in London and received a grant from Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes in Mexico.
• 1999: She had a residency at the Delfina Studio Trust in London.

Art in Collections

Alicia Paz's artworks are held in important art collections and museums around the world, meaning her art is preserved and can be seen by many people. Some of these include:

• 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