In the artwork "Zodiac" by Maria Bernardino, winner of the Young Art Prize from CPS in 2019, the magic of the four elements is renewed in print form. In the collection of 36 pieces dedicated to this theme, Water, Earth, Fire, Air, and the respective signs of the Zodiac assume the symbolism of the colors associated with them. The fiery red that fuels all passions and the intensity and brilliance of life, the blue of water, the quintessential color of imagination, the starting point of the great journey of dreams and the cradle of all living forms, the golden yellow, solar and alchemic, representing a land whose destiny is to expand and make all its creatures vibrate in the light of a celestial body that is a symbol of totality and the divine, and the gray of the air, which within its transparent atmosphere is the source of great transformations, a metaphor for the small and great mysteries.

The artist renews a tradition that dates back many centuries, which now reemerges in the refinement and magic of her simultaneously plastic and poetic signs.

Maria João Fernandes

International Association of Art Critics (AICA)

Artist's Statement:

According to the classical definition, Astrology is a pseudoscience in which the relative positions of celestial bodies provide information about personality, human relationships, and other personal and transpersonal spheres. It can be considered a divinatory activity when used as an oracle, but it can also be used as a tool for understanding human emotions, comparing certain tendencies with elements of each individual's personality.

Zodiac was created during a journey of discovery of the elements that make up the horoscope: affinities (tendencies of each sign), aspects (distances between the angles of each planet), planets (which coexist with the signs), houses (which divide the astrological chart's sky once again), and the horizon line (from which the ascendant emerges, making the chart precise). Between interpretive freedom and the heritage of a long tradition governed by mathematically exact elements, Zodiac is the result of a journey that aims to be similar to the task of an astrologer - interpreting, setting the tone intuitively and inspiringly, playing with the possibilities within the astrological universe.

Maria Bernardino, Dec. 2021