Experience the renewed magic of the four elements in Maria Bernardino's print "Zodiac," winner of the Young Art Prize from CPS in 2019. In this collection of 36 pieces dedicated to the theme, Water, Earth, Fire, Air, and their respective Zodiac signs take on the symbolism of the colors associated with them. The red of crackling fire fuels all passions and embodies the intensity and splendor of life itself. The blue of water, the quintessential color of the imagination, serves as the starting point for the grand journey of dreams and the cradle of all living forms. The golden yellow, solar and alchemical, represents a land destined to expand and resonate with all its creatures under the light of an emblematic celestial body that represents totality and the divine. The gray of the air, in its transparent atmosphere, is the source of great transformations and a metaphor for both the small and the great mysteries.

Maria Bernardino revitalizes a tradition that spans centuries, bringing forth the refinement and magic of both plastic and poetic signs.

Maria João Fernandes

AICA - International Association of Art Critics

Artist's Statement:

According to the classical definition, Astrology is a pseudoscience that claims 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 serve as a tool for understanding human emotions, highlighting emotional aspects by comparing certain tendencies with individual personalities.

"Zodiac" was created during a journey of discovery into the elements that make up the horoscope: affinities (each sign's tendencies), aspects (distances between planetary angles), planets (which coexist with the signs), houses (dividing the astrological map's celestial sphere), and the horizon line (from which the ascendant emerges, giving the map its precision). Balancing interpretive freedom with the legacy of a long tradition governed by mathematically precise elements, "Zodiac" is the result of a journey that seeks to emulate the task of the astrologer—interpretation, setting the tone intuitively and inspiringly, playing with the realm of possibilities within the astrological universe.

Maria Bernardino, Dec. 2021