The Shadow That Follows Me, features a new body of work by Quintela that extends upon her existing practice. Drawing from her early childhood memories in Chile, a country ruled at the time by dictatorship, she vividly recalls long and difficult years of hardship that have vehemently shaped her artistic practice today. Quintela’s new works beautifully transform her reflections on her childhood and desire to express her experience of diaspora into a world of fantasy, imagination, exploration and wonder. The Shadow That Follows Me comprises an enthralling series of mixed-media works on paper, together with several new sculptures that draw upon on her two-dimensional motifs, bringing these unique characters to life.
Essay writer Cassandra Lehman states, “Quintela’s sculptural pieces are presented as posed specimens, conjured from her imagination, and are offered as previously undiscovered species, so insignificant and dark that, by hiding in the shadows, they have avoided detection and classification, until now. Charmingly grotesque, submissive and vulnerable, these creatures have familiar features and hybrid qualities that lie somewhere in between the factual and the fantastic.”
Exhibition Opening: Saturday 17 May 2025, 5 -7pm
Gallery Walk-Through: Saturday 24 May 2025, 2 – 4pm | $15 per ticket | 30 available
Image: Paula Quintela, Chachacoma, 2025, Mi
