Cristine Balarine - About Cristine Balarine, Biography, Exhibitions and More

Biography
My art practice manifests and explores the rawness and authenticity of primitive, anthropological visual art, music and language. Oppositely, it also relates to street art: As an artist with origins in architecture, I am attracted to streetscapes for their scale and very universal, accessible, common place status quo. I see the street as our common living rooms in the cities, and references to the organically formed public realm complement my visual language, framing references to architecture. I value spontaneity and improvisation, and accord the highest importance to the process. I let my body movements record my impulses freely. Rhythm, movement and tempo vary across the length of the painting, while brush, fingers and limbs record energetic and often performative body movements. Large scale paintings on canvas emerge in the course of applying and covering countless layers of paint and drawing. The various stages of painting, painting over, crossing-out, scribbling blurring, blotching, writing and inscribing were purposely obscured, by superimposing the separate working steps in a way that rendered them virtually impossible to reconstruct while leaving some earlier traces still visible. These sediments of formal and substantial strata, traces of painting, drawing and writing are deposited in layers. These traces of meaning give rise to associations with archeological relics, as if they are excavated layer by layer by the viewer, prompting a reverse-engineered investigation of gesture. My large works on raw canvas present a freely manuscriptive, calligraphic-style body of work which is heavily impacted by the rhythm and tempo of music played on repeat at the studio, a realm where writing, painting and drawing are not distinct disciplines - but intertwined means of expression. Indeed, this collection serves as a critical exploration of the enduring human impulse to communicate through art, providing insight into the universal language of creativity and evoking the primal, emotive power of art through gestural abstraction
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Education

2010 - 2012

University College London
Upcoming Events

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Previous events

Event: Gestural Dialogues Between Past and Present

Dates: 26 Jul 2024 - 31 Jul 2024

Venue: Lighthouse Museum, Salina Island, Sicily, Italy

My solo show 'Gestural Dialogues Between Past and Present’ was done in collaboration with the Regional Aeolian Archeological Museum “Luigi Bernabò Brea” and the Cultural Association Amaneï. The exhibition explored the inception and gestural expression of the creative thought, highlighting the connection between ancient and contemporary art through abstract works, merging the boundaries between drawing, painting, archeology, calligraphy and music.

Event: SOTA Annual Exhibition and Auction at Sotheby's

Dates: 29 Apr 2024 - 1 May 2024

Venue: Sotheby's London, London UK

I am delighted to announce my participation in the exhibition and auction at Sotheby’s (New Bond St London) to raise money for @fairshotcafe held between 29th April-1st May 2024.

The show featured artworks donated by 18 artists from SOTA Marketplace’s neurodivergent and disabled community, alongside a room curated by Dr Madeleine Haddon of the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Fair Shot is an incredible charity based in Covent Garden in London which helps adults with learning disabilities find employment through its training programmes, working hard towards a more inclusive society.

Event: Rain at Sea

Dates: 12 Apr 2024 - 20 Apr 2024

Venue: Pop-up art gallery by Cristine Balarine, Lipari, Aeolian Islands, Sicily

Rain at Sea - An Aeolian Tale, was a solo exhibition celebrating my studio opening in Lipari Island, Sicily. This new body of work presents a series of multilayered abstract landscapes featuring imagery evocative of the local natural realities, suggesting growth, transition, and movement. Created with a multitude of mediums, from acrylics to calligraphy inks, oil paint and sticks, these new paintings exponentially expand my investigation of the relationship between gesture and painting.
The dynamic canvases and works on paper evoke associations with nature that at times suggest both sea and land, shifting subtly between representation and abstraction. This collection presents paintings which are extremely physical compositions, reflecting the dynamic range of motion and intensity of focus brought to their making.

Event: Florence Biennale Finalist Exhibition

Dates: 14 Oct 2023 - 22 Oct 2023

Venue: La Fortezza del Basso, Florence, Italy

The XIV edition of the Florence Biennale - International Exhibition of Contemporary Art and Design was held from 14 to 22 October 2023 at the Spadolini Pavilion and the Cavaniglia Pavilion of the Fortezza da Basso in Florence. The event took place under the patronage of national and international public institutions and is supported by numerous sponsors and partners, with the participation world-renowned American photographer and film-maker David LaChapelle and the Spanish architect, artist and engineer Santiago Calatrava.

Event: London Biennale Finalist’s Exhibition

Dates: 26 Jul 2023 - 30 Jul 2023

Venue: London Biennale, London

2023 London Biennale Finalist exhibition at the Chelsea Old Town Hall, London

Event: World Art Dubai

Dates: 9 Mar 2023 - 12 Mar 2023

Venue: Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai, UAE

Featuring +4000 pieces from around the globe, WAD unites +400 galleries and artists from +60 countries around the world, each with their own unique take on art.

Links

Like me on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter

Follow me on Pinterest

Follow me on Instagram

Visit my website

Education

2010 - 2012

University College London

There are no upcoming events

Show previous events Hide previous events

Previous events

Event: Gestural Dialogues Between Past and Present

Dates: 26 Jul 2024 - 31 Jul 2024

Venue: Lighthouse Museum, Salina Island, Sicily, Italy

My solo show 'Gestural Dialogues Between Past and Present’ was done in collaboration with the Regional Aeolian Archeological Museum “Luigi Bernabò Brea” and the Cultural Association Amaneï. The exhibition explored the inception and gestural expression of the creative thought, highlighting the connection between ancient and contemporary art through abstract works, merging the boundaries between drawing, painting, archeology, calligraphy and music.

Event: SOTA Annual Exhibition and Auction at Sotheby's

Dates: 29 Apr 2024 - 1 May 2024

Venue: Sotheby's London, London UK

I am delighted to announce my participation in the exhibition and auction at Sotheby’s (New Bond St London) to raise money for @fairshotcafe held between 29th April-1st May 2024.

The show featured artworks donated by 18 artists from SOTA Marketplace’s neurodivergent and disabled community, alongside a room curated by Dr Madeleine Haddon of the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Fair Shot is an incredible charity based in Covent Garden in London which helps adults with learning disabilities find employment through its training programmes, working hard towards a more inclusive society.

Event: Rain at Sea

Dates: 12 Apr 2024 - 20 Apr 2024

Venue: Pop-up art gallery by Cristine Balarine, Lipari, Aeolian Islands, Sicily

Rain at Sea - An Aeolian Tale, was a solo exhibition celebrating my studio opening in Lipari Island, Sicily. This new body of work presents a series of multilayered abstract landscapes featuring imagery evocative of the local natural realities, suggesting growth, transition, and movement. Created with a multitude of mediums, from acrylics to calligraphy inks, oil paint and sticks, these new paintings exponentially expand my investigation of the relationship between gesture and painting.
The dynamic canvases and works on paper evoke associations with nature that at times suggest both sea and land, shifting subtly between representation and abstraction. This collection presents paintings which are extremely physical compositions, reflecting the dynamic range of motion and intensity of focus brought to their making.

Event: Florence Biennale Finalist Exhibition

Dates: 14 Oct 2023 - 22 Oct 2023

Venue: La Fortezza del Basso, Florence, Italy

The XIV edition of the Florence Biennale - International Exhibition of Contemporary Art and Design was held from 14 to 22 October 2023 at the Spadolini Pavilion and the Cavaniglia Pavilion of the Fortezza da Basso in Florence. The event took place under the patronage of national and international public institutions and is supported by numerous sponsors and partners, with the participation world-renowned American photographer and film-maker David LaChapelle and the Spanish architect, artist and engineer Santiago Calatrava.

Event: London Biennale Finalist’s Exhibition

Dates: 26 Jul 2023 - 30 Jul 2023

Venue: London Biennale, London

2023 London Biennale Finalist exhibition at the Chelsea Old Town Hall, London

Event: World Art Dubai

Dates: 9 Mar 2023 - 12 Mar 2023

Venue: Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai, UAE

Featuring +4000 pieces from around the globe, WAD unites +400 galleries and artists from +60 countries around the world, each with their own unique take on art.

Biography

My art practice manifests and explores the rawness and authenticity of primitive, anthropological visual art, music and language. Oppositely, it also relates to street art: As an artist with origins in architecture, I am attracted to streetscapes for their scale and very universal, accessible, common place status quo. I see the street as our common living rooms in the cities, and references to the organically formed public realm complement my visual language, framing references to architecture. I value spontaneity and improvisation, and accord the highest importance to the process. I let my body movements record my impulses freely. Rhythm, movement and tempo vary across the length of the painting, while brush, fingers and limbs record energetic and often performative body movements. Large scale paintings on canvas emerge in the course of applying and covering countless layers of paint and drawing. The various stages of painting, painting over, crossing-out, scribbling blurring, blotching, writing and inscribing were purposely obscured, by superimposing the separate working steps in a way that rendered them virtually impossible to reconstruct while leaving some earlier traces still visible. These sediments of formal and substantial strata, traces of painting, drawing and writing are deposited in layers. These traces of meaning give rise to associations with archeological relics, as if they are excavated layer by layer by the viewer, prompting a reverse-engineered investigation of gesture. My large works on raw canvas present a freely manuscriptive, calligraphic-style body of work which is heavily impacted by the rhythm and tempo of music played on repeat at the studio, a realm where writing, painting and drawing are not distinct disciplines - but intertwined means of expression. Indeed, this collection serves as a critical exploration of the enduring human impulse to communicate through art, providing insight into the universal language of creativity and evoking the primal, emotive power of art through gestural abstraction