Carolina Aguirre (b.1990, Chile) is an Argentinean/British artist based in London. Her interdisciplinary practice explores the intersections of body, land, memory and migration, investigating experiences of belonging through mythopoetic landscapes. Aguirre’s practice reflects the negotiation of multiple geographies and histories through a relationship with nature, embedding the body within the material processes of her work.
For her first solo exhibition at Palmer Gallery, Aguirre presents an immersive installation of sculpture, painting and audio. Using natural materials such as gofun (made from crushed sea shells), shellac, charcoal and sumi ink, the works create a mineralised environment suspended between geological past and a post-human future. Lithic forms, smoky surfaces, and bodily traces evoke deep time, transformation and a return to nature.
At the centre of the installation is a group of collapsed, calcified sculptural forms. Inspired by ‘nursing logs’ in forest ecosystems - fallen trees that nourish new growth - the installation considers how cycles of decay can also generate life. The works move between states of ruin and regeneration, suggesting landscapes in transition.
A central work in the exhibition is a triptych painting bearing the imprints of the bodies of the artist’s parents and herself. These ghostly impressions have been physically broken apart into tectonic masses and reconfigured into new landscapes, where hybrid bodies begin to emerge. With the family now living across three continents, the work reflects on the persistence of connection through memory, inheritance and shared histories.
Aguirre graduated with a BA (First Class Honours) in Graphic Design from Central Saint Martins and worked in the film industry before transitioning into an interdisciplinary art practice and completing an MA at the Royal College of Art (2023). She is a recipient of the Ali H. Alkazzi Scholarship Award (2021-2023) and the 2022 Kyoto City University of the Arts exchange programme. She has exhibited at Palmer Gallery (London), Thaddeus Ropac (London), Ruttkowski;68 (Paris), Lismore Castle Arts (Cork), Royal Academy of Arts (London), among others. Upcoming projects for 2026 include a group presentation with Pace (Berlin).
The exhibition will precede the formation of Lisson Grove Galleries, a collaborative initiative between Palmer Gallery, Lisson Gallery, Patrick Heide Contemporary Art, The Showroom and the Bomb Factory Marylebone, which will launch during this year's London Gallery Weekend.
A Private View for Life will take place at the gallery on Friday 1st May, 6-8pm.
