CV / Biography

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Questioning the subjectivity present in urban systems, Maria Appleton’s practice finds its material form an ongoing research of colour and form developed through multiple techniques of dyeing, weaving and printmaking. Her pieces unravel as chromatic in-prints onto a juxtaposition of layered cotton, silk and other industrial fabrics, defining a series of vibrant abstract transparencies. 

Probing architectural conceptions of space, she defies human perception by translating optic perspectives and tracking bodily movements. Appleton delves into the dialogue established through the interaction of bodies in space, two elements that endure in a constant symbiotic relationship of metamorphosis with light. She sees the viewer as an active participant in the conception of the object itself, involved in a progressive sensorial experience open to interpretation. 

Speculating on the nature of liminal spaces, a stage of emotional or physical alienation, her production merges multiple layers of geometric codes that together create cartographic compositions connected to conscious spaces of collective memory. Traversed by subversive political tensions dealing with climate awareness, social injustices, current economic systems and technological evolution the artist includes urban elements such as posters, logos and statements complemented by critical symbolisms such as a woven thick black stripe which interrupts the work itself, as a moment of pause or grief. 

The artist negotiates tangible presence and symbolic absence in her compositions, meaning to trigger memories, dreams or physical sensations. Appleton chains, through these methods, a set of pulsing experiences, meant to trigger a part of an universe where the architecture of public and private meet. 

Born in Lisbon (PT) in 1997, Maria Appleton received her Bachelor’s degree in Textile Design from the Chelsea College of Arts in London in 2019. She currently lives in Lisbon (PT). 

Questioning the subjectivity present in urban systems, Maria Appleton’s practice finds its material form an ongoing research of colour and form developed through multiple techniques of dyeing, weaving and printmaking. Her pieces unravel as chromatic in-prints onto a juxtaposition of layered cotton, silk and other industrial fabrics, defining a series of vibrant abstract transparencies. 

The artist has completed several residencies, such as: a residence at the Kyoto Institute of Technology (2018, Kyoto, Japan); the EMMA Institute (2020, Pforzheim, Germany); at the invitation of the French Institute and funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation - the residency of the Cité Internationale des Arts (2022 in Paris, France); at the invitation of Hubert Bonnet and HATCH Gallery - the Fondation Cab artist in residence program (2024, Brussels, BE). 

Her main solo exhibitions include: 2024 - Working site (Artissima, with HATCH Gallery, Turin, Italy); The Unperceptibles (Espacio Tacuarí supported by the Vergez Collection - Buenos Aires, Argentina); 2023 - The Storing Skins (Casa da Cerca -  curated by Filippa Oliveira -  Lisbon, Portugal); Memory Breaks (ARCO Madrid - Opening section with Galeria Foco - Madrid, Spain); Is There Yet Space for Light (HATCH Gallery - Paris, France); 2021- Gaze to see, Gauze to perceive (Galeria Foco - Lisbon, Portugal)

Appleton’s upcoming projects in 2024-2025 include: her first presentation in Brussels as a duo show with Ann Veronica Janssens curated by Yann Chateigné and her second solo show with Galeria Foco in Lisbon. 

In recent years her work has been included in public and private collections such as CAB Foundation and Collection Vergues, among others.