Paola Raggo is an artist who uses existing materials that are closely connected to her, such as maps, recycled silver and old paintings to explore autobiographical themes. Raggo studied Visual Arts at the University of Chile in oil and acrylic painting before moving to Brisbane and transitioning her practice from the two-dimensional to the three-dimensional.
Raggo’s A place in the past series connects the two sides of her practice, painting and jewellery making. The works are assembled from sections cut from old forgotten canvas paintings she painted at art school. These sections are combined with maps of Brisbane and Santiago sawed from recycled silver sheet. Raggo’s works highlight the potential for layers of meaning to be added to personal items through their reinvention and reuse.