PAULA DO PRADO
’PALLAY YUYAY : TO GATHER, TO REMEMBER’
3 MARCH – 9 APRIL, 2021
ARTIST STATEMENT
pallay and yuyay are two words from the Quechua language family, the first means ‘to gather’ and the second ‘to remember’. This exhibition is a reflection on the interconnectedness of creative practice, plants and personal cultural rituals. By bringing into proximity what was previously scattered and seemingly unrelated, the process of gathering is a form of remembering, is a form of repair. To invoke the spirit of gathering the plant yerba maté (ilex paraguariensis) will be brought into the gallery and rosemary (salvia rosmarinus) as a symbol of remembrance. Although this is very much about the artists own path to return to ancestral and ritual connection, do Prado is curious to see what we might remember together in this space.
BIOGRAPHY
Paula do Prado is a visual artist living and working on Gadigal land (Warrang/Sydney). She was born on Charrúa land, Uruguay and migrated to Australia in 1986 with her parents at the age of 7. Through her practice she seeks to connect with her ancestral heritage and explore the intersections between her diverse lineages including Bantu (West African), Spanish, Portuguese and Indigenous South American heritage. do Prado utilises cloth, paper, crochet, coiling and beading to process and transform intergenerational experiences. As a woman of colour and a migrant living on stolen land, she is passionate about exploring making as an active form of resistance. Her alignment with her black heritage is intentional.
do Prado holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Textiles) with First Class Honours and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of New South Wales Art & Design and is a current PHD candidate at Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney. She has held various solo and group shows in Australia and overseas with an active practice since 2008.
“PALLAY YUYAY - TO GATHER, TO REMEMBER” ONLINE PUBLICATION
“Drinking maté is an indigenous practice, with most sources citing it as originating with the Guarani and Tupi nations. The origin story of yerba maté tells of the moon taking the human form to visit the earth, whilst walking through the jungle the moon is set upon by a jaguar but is saved by a Guarani tribesman……”
ONLINE PUBLICATION
PODCAST
This episode of Opening Drinks features Paula do Prado in a conversation around her practice and her show at Verge, pallay yuyay- to gather, to remember. Paula and Verge director Tesha Malott also share stories about their personal histories and their love of plants. (Paula brought a plant thesaurus to the recording session.... )