Nadia Hernandez

Esa sensación (that sensation)

2023
acrylic, pencil and oil on linen
100 x 180cm
Courtesy of the artist

Artist bio

Nadia Hernández's practice reflects a process of bearing witness to the loss of home and the symbolic power of memory and memorialisation. Informed by her experience as a Venezuelan woman living in Australia, and positioning herself both within and outside the Venezuelan diaspora, Hernández makes art as a means to connect with a sense of place that exists beyond psychic and geographic boundaries.
She negotiates complex narratives, weaving the personal and the political, to create a highly recognisable visual language expressed through textiles, paintings, and installations. Her works weave together the complexities of memory, despair, hope and reconciliation, reminding us that these opposing sensations often co-exist.

Artist statement

'Su memoria:
Ese amanecer
Esa sensación en el patio de la casa
Mirar al pico
Esta o no está nevado?
Amanecieron las 5 aguilas blancas nevadas?

Her memory:
that sunrise
The sensation felt in the backyard
Look up at the peak
Does it have snow?
Did the five white eagles wake up with snow on them?

The work draws inspiration from disparate references, including Venezuelan artist Armando Reverón, one of the most important Latin American artists of the 20th century; The Latin American Photobook, an archive of Latin American photography from 1920s to early 21st century; poetically navigating the complexities of memory, despair, hope and reconciliation, reminding us that these opposing sensations often co-exist.'

@nando_nandez

This artwork will be on display in the 2023 Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize Finalist Exhibition from Saturday 25 November 2023 until Sunday 18 February 2024.

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