Installation view, Alchemy of the Soul, Elixir for the Spirits: Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, 2016. Peabody Essex Museum. Photo by Peter Vanderwarker.
Gallery Wendi Norris is pleased to present Alchemy of the Soul: María Magdalena Campos-Pons and Remedios Varo at Art Basel Miami Beach.
Exhibiting the two artists alongside one another for the first time – María Magdalena Campos-Pons with Remedios Varo, of whom Campos-Pons believes she is the artistic reincarnation - Alchemy of the Soul explores the artists’ shared interest in the power of transformation, through both science and spirituality. A large-scale blown glass sculpture by Campos-Pons, a direct reference to an iconic Varo painting, anchors the booth, drawing on forms found in the abandoned sugar mills and rum factories of Campos-Pons’ native Cuba. Varo’s rare works illuminate the booth with magical and alchemical motifs.
The sculpture, Alchemy of the Soul, traces the painful history of the transatlantic slave trade, while also offering a space for healing through the regenerative powers of alchemy. This captivating contraption specifically draws direct inspiration from the scientific vessel depicted in La creación de las aves, a masterpiece by Varo, who has been highly influential to Campos-Pons’ present-day practice.
Both deeply spiritual, Campos-Pons and Varo explore the healing potential of transformation. Botanical motifs feature prominently in their alchemical narratives, with Campos-Pons drawing from her family lineage of healers and Varo crafting enchanted worlds for healing purposes. Their shared belief in the transformative power of complex knowledge systems, transcending boundaries between art, science, and the supernatural, establishes these migratory artists as pioneers in their respective times.
