Adriana Estivill has a background in Graphic Design and an MA in Book Arts, which she studied at Camberwell College of Arts in London. British born, spent most of her life in Mexico City and is currently living in Miami.

STATEMENT

As a visual artist I find inspiration in vulnerability and the human psyche. The process of creating allows me to work with my own experiences, thoughts, and emotions to find a deeper level where they are not particular to me. Through photography and text, I seek to give them a voice and construct a space where others can relate. Curating, editing and combining are essential to my work where narratives are articulated and give form to the concepts to explore. My aim is to shape a form of empathy and intimacy. 

My projects are not bound to a particular subject matter, they can deal with a wide range of themes. For example, “The Fruitless Garden” stemmed from my own experience of not being a mother. Through photography of trees and the appropriation of texts made by women writers who did not have biological children, this project questions the meaning of “fruit” and the subjectivity of its absence, evoking ambiguous concepts that relate to motherhood and non-motherhood. Another project is “MMXX” which deals with the isolation and loss we experienced during the pandemic lockdowns. With photographs of clothes not worn for months and texts in the form of instructions, this work creates an imaginary journey through events I was not able to attend like that of my father’s funeral. a difficult experience shared by people in many countries experienced during the pandemic.

Even though there are different outputs for my projects, with exhibitions playing an important role, I always also make a book. Giving material permanence to the ideas and forms,. the book creates a round universe where any of my explorations finds a place; it can live anywhere and potentially reach anyone, increasing my possibilities to connect with another human being at an intimate level, transcending time and place.