Thierry Goldberg Gallery is pleased to present Volver, the first solo exhibition of Rocío Navarro. The exhibition opens on March 21, with a reception from 6-8pm and will run through April 27, 2024.
In a potent rumination on the location of home, Rocío Navarro’s Volver delicately traces her internal odyssey towards reconciling her Mexican origins within the unfamiliar contours of a foreign landscape. While Navarro’s birthplace anchors her past in Juarez, Chihuahua, she spent a large portion of her adult years moving around and living in France. This exhibition encapsualtes vibrant portraits of her own alter-egos, each a prism refracting the multifaceted dimensions of her heritage and daily life, set against backdrops suffused with an intimate sense of rootedness. Filled with symbols and motifs of Mexican craft, cooking, and culture, each canvas mediates her commemorative journey of reconnection and commemoration in an evocative narrative of her personal diaspora.
Volver – Spanish meaning “to return” – modestly divulges Navarro’s quest to cultivate community and comfort. Her distinct style emphasizes the bright, cluttered chaos that she associates with her experience of Mexico and her replication of that space in France. Through her discerning eye and deft brushstrokes, Navarro constructs an oasis of vibrant nostalgia, wherein the convergence of cultures and memories coalesce into a harmonious symphony of self-discovery.
This process of introspection is poignantly articulated in Cruz de Clavos, 2024. The painting depicts a gold-framed mirror, reflecting Navarro, sitting on a wooden shelf amongst potted plants, books, and a single key. It is the two most central objects – a pink cross delicately cradled in Navarro's hand and a flaming milagro-covered heart– that imbue the scene with profound resonance. Bearing the weight of its namesake memorial in Juarez, the cross serves as a somber homage to the enduring legacy of violence against women in the area, which was a contributing factor in Navarro’s own choice to leave Mexico. Often placed in personal shrines to specific Catholic saints, the heart embodies the essence of faith and resilience in the face of adversity. Navarro's deliberate juxtaposition of the milagro-covered heart against her own reflection in the mirror constitutes a powerful act of self-affirmation and courage. Through this subversive gesture, Navarro invites viewers into a realm where personal fortitude and collective memory converge.
In the similarly brilliant Trois étages d’histoires, 2024, Navarro gracefully sits in a green armchair, surrounded by thriving plants. The composition is meticulously curated, with each element – from the intricate Mexican craft objects to the carefully arranged books adorning nearby shelves – serving as conduits of intimate connection and familiar solace. As Navarro basks in this oasis of tranquility, enveloped by the soothing embrace of nature and nostalgia, she invites viewers into a realm where the boundaries between past and present blur, and the essence of home resonates with timeless allure.
Through the loaded imagery of Volver, Navarro shares with viewers an unmistakably intimate, yet soothing portrait of a sanctuary that embodies her own internal strength and sense of self. As viewers immerse themselves in Navarro's emotive canvases, they are enveloped by a sense of intimacy and solace, akin to the comforting embrace of a cherished memory. Navarro's paintings transcend mere representation, offering a poignant reflection on the universal journey of finding home within the depths of the self.
Rocio Navarro (b. 1991, Chihuahua, México) lives and works in Vic Fezensac, France. She holds a BFA from TecMilenio University, Chihuahua, México. Navarro's work was included in exhibitions at The Bunker, West Palm Beach, FL; Thierry Goldberg Gallery, New York; Hashimoto Contemporary, New York, NY; La Varangue, Vic Fezensac, France; Galerie d'Art Insolitudes, Pau, France; and at Les Milles Tiroirs, Pamiers, France.
