Artist Statement

I explore the relationship between the human mind and nature, curious about the nature versus nurture debate and the idea of a blank slate (tabla rasa). When using natural materials and spaces, I emphasize their elemental qualities, often allowing them to age and erode to reflect the passage of time. I draw inspiration from prehistoric art and approach my work with curiosity and an open mind. Zen practice allows me to deconstruct formal art elements and observe as the process unfolds, as handcrafted paint emulsions flow and deposit unpredictably. My work examines the human desire for understanding and transcendence through repetition and observation, and my recent installations are collaborative and interactive. Through my art, I aim to invite viewers to a deeper internal experience that connects us to our primordial past and our timeless human desire for transformation.

Bio

Maria Cerro was born in South Florida and is currently living and working in Fort Lauderdale. She studied Anthropology, Sociology, and Visual Art at Florida International University in Miami. There she met her first mentor, Sandy Winters in 1993 and became Winters’ studio assistant. In 1996 she was introduced to Zen practice through a Japanese martial art and studied under the master for almost two decades. This practice with its esoteric principles transformed her work. She was accepted into the MFA program at Florida Atlantic University in 2001 with Carol Prusa as a mentor, and traveled with her to Naropa University in Colorado to study Tibetan Buddhist art with visiting monks. FAU graduate studios was a catalyst for Maria’s work to expand from painting and sculpture to installation and performance. Maria’s focus then became cultivating presence as an art form and a vehicle for transcendence.

In 2012 Cerro founded a project called ArtAware as a platform for artists and creatives (across all disciplines) to uncover deeper understanding of themselves by applying meditation to art. This project has continued to evolve, taking form through workshops, mentoring, collaborations, exhibitions, art events and a forthcoming art and meditation retreat.

Maria Cerro’s collaborations include meditative performance installations with established and emerging artists across many disciplines. Her work seeks to facilitate an environment in which participant, viewer and artist have interdependent roles in the creation of a heightened awareness and collective experience.