The National Art School acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora nation, the traditional owners on whose lands, water and skies we meet and share.

Ballu Du Ciucciu/Dance Of The Donkey

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oil and acrylic on canvas

100 x 80 cm

 

Maria Romeo

Maria Romeo

@mariaromeoart

Maria Romeo lives and works on Kameraigal country, where she was born. She is a multidisciplinary artist predominantly working in sculpture and painting, and her work is concerned with various aspects of community and inclusivity, incorporating aspects of community, otherness and belonging in subject matter or related to the overarching project within which her works are incorporated.
Her most recent body of work examines folklore, ritual and celebration in the remote Italian village of her ancestry, where public celebrations reflect Catholic devotion intersected by pagan and superstitious practices. The works are informed by her dreamlike memories as a child living in the village, supplemented by stories told and retold by family members in Australia and Italy. Maria is interested in this family-based community’s ability to accept and assimilate into daily life violent episodes in its history to create a rich culture. Yet the region is known for the criminal activity of the 'Ndrangheta organisation whose reputation casts an ever-present shadow. She attempts to reveal the tension between the community rituals bathed in the light of religious devotion and the ever-present shadow.
Maria has a background in science, working in microbial research before completing a Diploma of Fine Art at TAFE (2011) and a BFA in painting in at the National Art School (2024). She has had four solo exhibitions and been finalist or participant in many group exhibitions. She is drawn to inclusive community projects which are at the core of her creative career.

View the works: Demountable Studios Ground Floor, Rayner Hoff Project Space