One is struck immediately by the work of Symona Colina, by its precision, subtleties and delicacy of the coloration and the complexity of forms. Her works form bubbles of isolated and etiolated realities floating within their own hyper-unique spheres. Colina is perhaps most interested in the exploration of spatial representation on a flat surface. Her confidence and superb draughtsmanship allow her to play with space, distorting perspective in order to heighten the feelings of depth, height, width – like Escher, the beauty and geometric logic are utterly convincing and enthralling, and so the viewer finds no trouble in entering Colina’s fantastical dreamscapes. Her preparations for painting are key to the finished works. Choosing to work in oils, she finds a sensuality in their texture and surface finish which extends to the rest of the painting – the images are highly seductive in their perfection, the false surface crying out to be touched.
Symona Colina was born in the Netherlands and currently lives and works in Rome, Italy.