El Carinyo

BETA Contemporary is thrilled to announce the opening of its new gallery in Barcelona with El Carinyo, Miriam Dema’s (b. 1995 in Barcelona, Spain) solo exhibition debut with the gallery.

At the heart of Miriam Dema’s artistic process lies a deliberate fusion between lived experience and artistic practice. Here, the boundaries between the two realms blur, each informing the other, and fueling a process in which present experiences, distant memories, and powerful emotions create layers of meaning in compositions that burst with vibrant colors, vivid textures, and varying perspectives. Rich palettes, dominated by warm hues, are interspersed with icy blues and greens reminiscent of the cool breeze of a late summer evening.

In recounting her process, Dema describes the paintings of El Carinyo as gradually unveiling themselves over time. Eschewing preconceived plans or deliberate intentions, she embarks on a journey guided by the emotions she aims to elicit. The process is explorative and intuitive. At first, figures and objects that transport the artist to the innermost recesses of her childhood memories become manifest. Shared tables, floral arrangements, fauna, and fresh fruit populate scenes that evoke warmth and intimacy, embodying elements of Dema’s family life. These paintings are inspired by the summers Dema spent in her grandmother’s home in a small, quiet town in Catalonia. Images of everyday objects reflect the quotidian nature of the scene, and also act as bridges for the viewers to access their own memories of simpler times of familial intimacy.

In the dynamic compositions in this series—highlighted by pieces including Pastís de poma al cel, Tarda de diumenge, and Mantel i vi (2023-2024)—elements entwined with happiness play freely. These compositions offer an insight into a rich inner world of memories, where time passes by slowly. El Carinyo is a vivid collection of moments directly reconstructed from memory. Among these, Pastís de poma al cel (2024) emerges as a singular expression, capturing an encounter between artist and grandmother as if unfolding in the present moment. The painting evokes a delicate sense of nostalgia, transience and weightlessness, portraying elements of domesticity – chairs, table, coffee cup – alongside the symbolic liberation of a parakeet in flight.

In other works in the exhibition, Dema navigates the boundary between truth and artistic license. She bends reality, altering colors and forms in order to break free from rigidity and convention. Tarda de diumenge (2024), however, stands as a faithful depiction of familial space; a tableau adorned with evocative relics – a VHS tape, a plate of pa amb tomàquet, an olive oil jug, and a delicately arranged vase of freshly picked flowers - enriched by the artist’s meticulous layering of paint upon lace fabric, yielding captivating interplays of light and shadow. Amidst the mostly serene tapestry of the series, Mantel i vi (2024) stands out with its arresting portrayal of discord amidst tranquility. Here, a shattered wine glass, its contents spilled upon a pristine tablecloth, coexists with an impromptu arrangement of grapes and flowers, inviting reflection upon the fragility of beauty. There is a nuanced tension captured within this composition, where every element speaks to the intricate interplay of memory and perception. The process is a quick journey from an idea to a finished work, and each stroke of her brush feels deliberate, heavily-laden with intention, and driven by emotion.

Working primarily with acrylics, oil sticks, and oil pastels on canvas, she constructs each piece with layers and partially uncovered elements, resulting in energetic works rich in nuances and textures. As she delves into themes inspired by her childhood, Dema taps into a universal thread connecting artists throughout history who found inspiration in biographical themes. Her depictions of domestic scenes act as mementos of the richness of life experience, and of the strength of personal memories and familial bonds.