TURNER GALLERIES... 2012 EXHIBITIONS > elizabeth marruffo: the death of the party

Elizabeth Marruffo’s exhibition is the culmination of her Honours studies at Edith Cowan University.

This extraordinarily talented young artist was born in 1976 in the USA, and has lived in Mexico and England before settling in Perth. Her work incorporates self-portraits, along with portraits of her partner and young son, within stylized abstract backdrops and a personal set of symbolic imagery to suggest narratives and stories.

When asked about the inspiration for her painting practice Elizabeth replied that "It was a search for paintings of my father’s, that he had left in a small town in Mexico before he died, that led to a direct reactivation of my personal artistic investigations and practice. I didn’t find any paintings but I did find myself having imaginary conversations with the dead, and reflecting upon the importance of the Day of the Dead. The Mexican Day of the Dead can be recognized as a profoundly productive and creative act of sorrow, which transforms death into a start of life, a celebration of new life and new significance.

By reflecting upon this celebration and through painted representations of myself, I aim to research the feelings of love and loss I have towards my current home of Perth, my family home, and the home I create in the studio. It is my hope that this will reveal new knowledge of the way we all relate to our present lives and homes and why it is important to locate and remember loss." [Elizabeth Marruffo, March 2012]

This is Elizabeth’s fifth solo exhibition and her paintings can be found in the collections of the Education Department of WA, Edith Cowan University and many private collections.

the disconsolate nest acrylic, pastel, oil on linen, hand carved frames 130 x 80cm [x3] 2012 $15,000
the death of the party: treehugger acrylic, pastel, charcoal, oil on canvas 83.5 x 83.5cm 2012 $1,600	the death of the party: too bad the woods burnt down acrylic, pastel, oil on canvas 83.5 x 38cm 2012 $850
the death of the party: saving the universe acrylic, pastel, oil on canvas 83.5 x 83.5cm 2012 $1,600	the death of the party: collecting sticks acrylic, pastel, oil on canvas 83.5 x 38cm 2012 $850
milkteeth acrylic, pastel, oil on linen 122 x 66cm 2012 $2,800	jellyfish veil acrylic, pastel, oil on linen 122 x 66cm 2012 $2,800 sold
the death of the party: maybe it's a wolf or something acrylic, pastel, oil on canvas 83.5 x 83.5cm 2012 $1,600	the death of the party: the mountains milk acrylic, pastel, oil on canvas 83.5 x 38cm 2012 $850 sold
the death of the party: an interstellar burst acrylic, pastel, silver leaf, oil on canvas 83.5 x 83.5cm 2012 $1,600	the death of the party: the waters will get darker acrylic, pastel, oil on canvas 83.5 x 38cm 2012 $850 sold
ghostgums acrylic, pastel, oil on linen 122 x 122cm 2012 $3,600	babies spittle acrylic, pastel, oil on linen 122 x 122cm 2012 $3,600
the death of the party: the body is a bonehouse acrylic, pastel, oil on canvas 83.5 x 83.5cm 2012 $1,600	the death of the party: the midnight zone acrylic, pastel, silver leaf, oil on canvas 83.5 x 38cm 2012 $850
the death of the party: the flame in your heart acrylic, pastel, silver leaf, oil on canvas 83.5 x 83.5cm 2012 $1,600