Portales, the first solo exhibition of María Fernanda Soltero, presents a body of fiber and mixed-media works developed over six years of renewed artistic practice following the artist’s return to Puerto Rico. The exhibition examines the intersections of memory, repetition, and temporality through material processes.
Working through intuitive, tactile methodologies, Soltero distills personal recollections and photographic fragments into abstract compositions grounded in color, structure, and gesture. Each work functions as a portal, mediating the threshold between subjective memory and material embodiment. The exhibition reveals a sustained, deliberate mode of making in which emotion, surface, and form converge into a cohesive chromatic language.
“These works evolved slowly, accompanying me through the transformations my life has taken in recent years,” the artist notes. “They hold memories, affections, and the passing of seasons through impressions of color, as if each thread and each tone carried a fragment of memory.”
The exhibition invites viewers to reflect on color as a container of remembrance and matter as a persistent trace of lived experience over time.
Exhibition Details:
Title: Portales
Artist: María Fernanda Soltero
Venue: Estudio Arriba Abajo – 104 Calle San Sebastian, San Juan, PR 00901
Dates: December 4-17, 2025
Opening Reception: Thursday, December 4, 6:00 PM
Artist Talk and Guided Walkthrough: Saturday, December 13, 2:00 PM
Closing Reception: Tuesday, December 16, 6:00 PM
Website: mafesoltero.com/portales
Contact: msoltero.art@gmail.com | Instagram: @mafe.soltero
Caption: María Fernanda Soltero stands in front of her artwork “Áine”.
