Reflections on Chatsworth House
Opening 4 September 6-9 pm.
Exhibition 5 September- 3 October 2025
Artist in conversation with Gabriela Salgado, Director of the Showroom, 18 September
Somers Gallery is pleased to present the solo exhibition by Alicia Paz ‘Laberinto’.
Alicia Paz is a painter and sculptor based in London who studied MA Painting at Royal College of Art in 2008 and Postgraduate Diploma Fine Art at Goldsmiths College, London in 2000. Born and raised in Mexico, before living in the US, France and now the UK, Alicia’s work is informed by her personal experience and offers a reflection on transcultural representation, particularly that of women. Through her paintings and sculptures, Paz explores cultural hybrids, representations of family, and the complexities of kinship and lineage in a globalised world. Her work often incorporates elements from the applied and decorative arts as a tool for interweaving narratives and exploring notions of displacement and identity. Ornamentation, illusion and materiality feature strongly in her practice.
The exhibition presents a multidisciplinary ensemble of works inspired by the historic Devonshire collections at Chatsworth House. The project is the result of Alicia’s research residency there, hosted by S1 Artspace in Sheffield. A production residency followed at Centre for Print Research (CFPR, at University of the West of England, Bristol.
‘Upon entering the grounds and the house itself, I felt my senses seductively impacted from every direction. The extraordinary interiors, the art, a myriad of fascinating objects, and the way everything relates to the building’s architecture, all of this I experienced as a catalyst for imaginary narratives, improbable scenarios. Literary references such as Woolf’s Orlando, and films such as Resnais’ Last Year at Marienbad, and Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast, come to mind.
Guided by the expert curatorial team at Chatsworth, I looked at extraordinary paintings, sculptures, textiles, decorative arts, archival material as well as the house Theatre. This research inspired a new body of work in photography, using the camera-less technique of photograms. During my residency at CFPR, I explored translations of these photographic images into printed fabrics, to be displayed on a folding screen structure. The aim is to create a labyrinth of interrelated images, as a rich dialogue between painting, photography, print and sculpture. I wanted to reference both the maze in the Chatsworth Garden and the architectural layout of Park Hill Estate in Sheffield, where S1 Artspace was located. I gave particular attention, both in my research and in my production process, to the biographies of certain female figures in the history of Chatsworth, women whose lives I found exemplary and compelling. Botanical elements feature strongly in this new work as well, highlighting the importance of the land, and the relationship to nature.’ – Alicia Paz
‘The product of this period of incredible fecundity is imagined as a “giant collage, a hybrid meta-work”, to quote Alicia herself. The works encourage a sense of déjà-vu, akin to gazing at the refractions of a crystal, or drops of ink in ever-increasing circles. Through repetition, the multi-layering of images and resulting complexity, the viewer’s perceptions are changed.’ – Sash Giles, Curator of Decorative Arts, Devonshire Collections (Excerpt from her text Labyrinth of Images, Reflections on Chatsworth House, featured in Alicia’s Edition Brochure published by CFPR)
The S1 | Chatsworth Residency was selected through an international open call, which received almost 300 applications from across 55 countries. The selection panel included artist and musician Linder Sterling, founding director of RESOLVE Collective Seth Scafe Smith, S1 Artspace’s Director Louise Hutchinson, and Senior Curator of Programme at Chatsworth Dr Alexandra Hodby.
The CFPR artist residency programme presents an exciting opportunity for collaboration and the enrichment of the CFPR’s research activities. Alicia Paz has made a body of work that contributes to the CFPR archive and the editions portfolio. Resident artists bring a curiosity and range of interests in areas such as fine art, print, product design, robotics, electronics, software, manufacturing, and materials science, encouraging new and productive research partnerships. As well as producing a body of work, resident artists deliver a range of inspiring talks and participative sessions to our researchers and student community. CFPR has produced a booklet about Alicia’s residency project, featuring a text by Chatsworth Decorative Arts Curator Sash Giles, as well as a 2-minute film.
Alicia wishes to thank Javier Calderón and Somers gallery for presenting this project to the London public. The project is the result of a partnership established in 2022-2023 between S1 Artspace, Chatsworth House Trust and Centre for Print Research at the University of West England. It is kindly supported by Alumno, The Freshgate Trust, the University of Sheffield’s School of Architecture and Sheffield Hallam University.
To purchase editions by Alicia Paz published by CFPR: