maría lapastora

María Lapastora (b.1987) works predominantly in black and white and in her drawings, it´s common to find blank spaces. There are no plans, she works directly with pen onto a surface adding in more detail as the drawing progresses. Sometimes her drawings are clearly divided by many lines, and other times, by the accumulation of dots, crosses, or other shapes. The meaning of the blank spaces remains a mystery to Debajo del Sombrero, the Madrid-based studio that has supported her since 2013. Sometimes she copies her own hand or an object. On other occasions, the white holes are fortuitous, drawn at random and have no correspondence with reality. Rhythm is an important part of the drawing process, alongside patience. Her more complex drawings can take a couple of months to complete.

María has real difficulty expressing herself verbally and she usually works in silence. As she works, she occasionally likes to share photographs from happy moments with those around her, for example from birthdays or family trips. She is energetic, positive, always ready to laugh and very hardworking, often choosing to continue her artwork at home after the workshop, late into the evening. María loves to see her work being exhibited, often beaming when she sees others enjoying it.  

Click the thumbnails to see larger images and more details. Further artworks are available on request.

2023 Instinctive Energies, Mura Ma, Marple
2024 Cordially Invited VI, Make Studio, Baltimore
2024 Las Consombrero, Nuevo Montacargas, Madrid
2024 Jornada de Puertas Abiertas (febrero), Centro de Residencias Artísticas, Matadero Madrid
2023 V Internationale Art Brut Biennale, Edificio V&D, Netherlands
2022 Red Itiner, Madrid
2021 Bodies of water:13th Shanghai Biennale, Power Station of Art, Shanghai
2018 Debajo del Sombrero 10 years, Galería Aina Nowack, Madrid
2016 Brake a Leg, Capital Europea de la Cultura, San Sebastián