RENEWED MAGIC: Zodiac

Experience the renewed magic of the four elements in Maria Bernardino's print artwork "Zodiac," winner of the Young Art Prize from CPS in 2019. Within the set of 36 pieces dedicated to this theme, Water, Earth, Fire, Air, and their respective Zodiac signs embody the symbolism of their associated colors. The fiery red feeds all passions, representing the intensity and brilliance of life itself. The blue of water, the ultimate color of the imagination, serves as the starting point for the great journey of dreams and the cradle of all living forms. The golden yellow, solar and alchemical, symbolizes a land destined to expand and resonate with all its creatures under the light of a celestial body that embodies totality and the divine. The gray of the air, within its transparent atmosphere, becomes the source of great transformations and a metaphor for both small and great mysteries.

The artist revitalizes a tradition dating back many centuries, now reborn in the refinement and magic of her simultaneously visual and poetic signs.

Maria João Fernandes

AICA - International Association of Art Critics

Artist statement:

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

Zodiac was created during a journey of discovery into the elements that make up the horoscope: affinities (the tendencies of each sign), aspects (the distances between the angles of each planet), planets (which coexist with the signs), houses (which divide the sky of the astrological chart), and the horizon line (from which the ascendant emerges, giving the chart precision). Balancing interpretative freedom with the inheritance of a long tradition governed by mathematically precise elements, Zodiac is the result of a journey that seeks to mirror the task of the astrologer - interpreting, intuitively and inspiredly setting the tone, and playing with the realm of possibilities within the astrological universe.

Maria Bernardino, Dec. 2021