"My residency at Xenia was absolutely wonderful! I am ever so grateful for this quiet time spent working and thinking in solitude, surrounded by such gorgeous wintry landscapes, as well as the captivating sounds of birds and other animals.

Although I have taken part in several residencies before, this is the first time I found myself in a retreat where I spent so much time alone in a natural setting, fully immersed in my work process, while at the same time feeling so well supported and looked after.

The staff who helped me to settle in upon my arrival, Lucy and Jaye, were most gracious, kind and practical. Everything in the welcome food hamper in my studio kitchen was delicious, and so plentiful! It was so helpful to be able to plunge straight into the practice soon after getting to Xenia. The ample dimensions of the studio, the fantastic natural light, and the very comfortable temperature inside, allowed me to experiment freely with works developed flat on the floor.

I explored different approaches to mark-making, for example, using very watery ink on watercolour paper, in combination with metallic pigments and liquid acrylic mediums of varying viscosity.

I tried to mimic in my works on paper the effects of water pooling and dripping, of slow sedimentation, and various natural processes of growth and decay that I observed in the fields, during my daily walks outside. The large windows of the beautiful “Main Studio”, that look directly onto the trees and lake in the distance, gave me the feeling that my working space was boundless, in tune with the rhythm of the ever-changing light, in dialogue with the sky, and the constantly evolving clouds and stars..."

Born

Mexico City, Mexico,

1967

 About

Alicia graduated from U.C. Berkeley, Ecole nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris, Goldsmiths College, and Royal College of Art, London. Her work is part of various international public and private collections and has been the subject of numerous catalogues and publications; her work has been reviewed/featured widely (Art News, Art Press, Modern Painters, Art Forum, Turps Banana, The Guardian, Le Monde, Libération, Beaux-Arts Magazine, New York Times, Reforma, etc).

Paz has had several solo exhibitions in the UK, France, Germany, Mexico, and Argentina. She presented in 2024 a solo exhibition titled Explorations au Féminin at Château de Haroué; this collaboration with the Centre for National Monuments of France was curated by Bénédicte Delay. Another solo exhibition titled “Juntas” was presented in 2022 at the Maison de l’Amérique latine in Paris, generously funded by Fluxus Art Projects. A 52-page catalogue designed by Fraser-Muggeridge Studio, featuring texts by authors Julie Crenn and Lassla Esquivel, accompanied the exhibition. An Arts Council-funded research and development project culminating in two solo exhibitions in UK institutions took place in 2021, these include Río y Mar (River and Sea) at the Beecroft Gallery in Southend-on-Sea, as part of the regional festival Estuary, as well as River Makers at 20-21 Visual Arts Centre in North Lincolnshire, UK. Paz was also part of Life Stories, a group exhibition at Chatsworth House, UK, (2021). She also exhibited at FRAC Ile de France, Château de Rentilly, as part of the group exhibition Le Cabaret du Néant (2020).

If you'd like to know more about Alicia and her art, please visit her website: www.aliciapaz.com

 About

Alicia graduated from U.C. Berkeley, Ecole nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris, Goldsmiths College, and Royal College of Art, London. Her work is part of various international public and private collections and has been the subject of numerous catalogues and publications; her work has been reviewed/featured widely (Art News, Art Press, Modern Painters, Art Forum, Turps Banana, The Guardian, Le Monde, Libération, Beaux-Arts Magazine, New York Times, Reforma, etc).

Paz has had several solo exhibitions in the UK, France, Germany, Mexico, and Argentina. She presented in 2024 a solo exhibition titled Explorations au Féminin at Château de Haroué; this collaboration with the Centre for National Monuments of France was curated by Bénédicte Delay. Another solo exhibition titled “Juntas” was presented in 2022 at the Maison de l’Amérique latine in Paris, generously funded by Fluxus Art Projects. A 52-page catalogue designed by Fraser-Muggeridge Studio, featuring texts by authors Julie Crenn and Lassla Esquivel, accompanied the exhibition. An Arts Council-funded research and development project culminating in two solo exhibitions in UK institutions took place in 2021, these include Río y Mar (River and Sea) at the Beecroft Gallery in Southend-on-Sea, as part of the regional festival Estuary, as well as River Makers at 20-21 Visual Arts Centre in North Lincolnshire, UK. Paz was also part of Life Stories, a group exhibition at Chatsworth House, UK, (2021). She also exhibited at FRAC Ile de France, Château de Rentilly, as part of the group exhibition Le Cabaret du Néant (2020).

If you'd like to know more about Alicia and her art, please visit her website: www.aliciapaz.com