Materials: various new and vintage beads, fair trade açai beads, African vinyl beads, Hama beads, black plastic pearl beads from Uruguay, terracotta ceramic beads, hemp, cotton, polystring, wire, paper

H 35cm x W 36cm

One-of-a-kind

2017

Paula do Prado says of her work Crossroads: “This particular Hybrid Form is a reflection on finding oneself at a point when decisions must be made, where you can see multiple pathways ahead.”

Paula’s Hybrid Forms series references a combination of forms; feminine and masculine reproductive organs, animals (owls, octopi, jellyfish) and ceremonial African masks. Eyes are a recurring symbolic motif as windows to the soul, seeing and not seeing and simultaneously looking towards the past and future. Each work in the series is highly individual and a one-off piece.

The intensive handmade process blends traditional and non-traditional textile techniques and materials. Form, colour, texture and a ‘making do’ aesthetic reflect the artist’s Afro-Uruguayan heritage.  Hybrid Forms are talisman-like objects that attempt to connect to the spiritual through the power of transformation.