A Conversation with Virginia Bradley about alchemy and climate change
Exploring the Corallium Series, now showcased at Palazzo Bembo, and its intimate connection to nature
Virginia Bradley, a contemporary abstract painter based in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, is renowned for her captivating exploration of alchemy and the performative nature of painting. Her artistic practice, deeply influenced by environmental concerns, particularly around climate change, reflects a profound sensitivity to the natural world. With her work exhibited globally and numerous fellowships to her name, Bradley has established herself as a significant voice in the world of abstract art. Currently, she is exhibiting at Personal Structures – Beyond Boundaries, and we had the pleasure of discussing her creative journey, her inspiration, and the connection to the environment that shapes her powerful body of work.
Can you describe the inspiration behind the Corallium series, showcased in Personal Structures 2024?
At the heart of the installation is my love for the sea and marine life. The rejuvenation of the coral reefs in the Playa Santa Bay in southwest Puerto Rico particularly inspired the Corallium Series. My winter studio is located by the bay, and I snorkel and scuba dive in this area during the winter months. The imagery from my underwater life submerged in the Caribbean is embedded in my life.
As recently as 15 years ago, the reefs were completely decimated due to pollution and boat traffic. In 2011, the Obama administration undertook an extensive federal project to restore the coral reefs. The reefs returned to health and were thriving once again until the summer of 2023 when the Caribbean Sea temperatures in the bay reached 104 degrees resulting in the reefs being “bleached”. Bleaching is a process that kills all the algae within the reef. Algae is the basic food source for marine life. The bay became a cemetery of white ghostly forms that were the remnants of live coral.
One of the aims of the project is to inform the public about the devastating effects of climate change on coral reefs. Overfishing, marine pollution and the salinity of toxic rainfall (due to carbon emissions) are other major factors that are endangering our reefs. Coral reef restoration projects are being conducted successfully throughout the world. Scientists are farming coral reefs with seedlings by extracting samples from healthy reefs and growing new coral in a nursery. Once the coral is large enough, it is transplanted into endangered reefs. Coral reefs are the basic building blocks for marine life to exist.
Your work is often compared to Eco Art due to your concern for the welfare of coral reefs. How do you balance this environmental consciousness with your artistic expression?
Alchemy and the performative aspects of painting are the basis of my painting process. Simultaneously, throughout the last decade, environmental issues surrounding climate change have been formative in the development of the paintings. Form and content working in concert are fundamental to my practice. The ideas and the forms contained in a work are equal in importance. I always say a painting is only as strong as its weakest part.
“Artistic expression” emerges from my process. Experimentation with oil paint, seawater, alcohol, and other painting mediums in various weather conditions, creates a path for the image to form while merging with the environmental issues that function as a departure point for the work. Physical interventions – like pouring layers of paint onto the painting surface, sanding, drawing, adding to and subtracting from the painting surface – are key to each layer of the work unfolding. The Corallium works are created on archival transparent film where processes, materials, and interactions mirror nature's own inventive process. All of life has been formed, and transformed, by the water, elements, and powerful forces of the sea. This perpetual churning of materials both creates the infinite variety of life on earth – and sustains it. Other examples of my practice addressing climate change issues are the Yellowstone Series, the Jeopardy Series, the Fragile Grace Series, and the Soudan Series. Ultimately, my painting process explores the ephemeral nature in the unknown and looks to convey the delicate state of our natural world.
You mention alchemy as an influence in your work. How do you see the relationship between alchemical processes and your painting techniques?
The alchemists in the 14th and 15th centuries fundamentally can be divided into two groups, those who were trying to create “gold” and those who were seeking a higher level of consciousness. I work in my laboratory (studio) searching for a higher level of consciousness. When I am working at my best, I am working as one with the painting. We intuitively respond to each other and create a dialogue to form an image. Painting is a continual journey for me, I never know where or when the final image will emerge.
Can you elaborate on the concept of "uncontrollable (and unknown) chemical reactions" in your studio and how they contribute to the final outcome of your paintings?
The “uncontrollable” relates to the surrealists’ use of “chance and order.” New structures and forms are created by my interventions by adding chemicals to the painting surface. I am not a chemist and cannot predict the outcome of the interactions between the chemicals and the oil paint – it becomes a true adventure with materials. These unknown results create new options to explore in the ongoing development of the painting. The piercing 95-degree sun in the open-air Playa Santa studio is the most transformational agent in the ongoing process. I remember the first time I introduced alcohol into the painting surface beneath the intense sun. I poured a layer and went to work on another painting, when I returned parts of the surface were boiling with bubbles, quite exciting! You can see the results in Corallium 47 at the Palazzo Bembo.
Why did you choose to participate in Personal Structures 2024? Is there a relationship between your artistic research and the city of Venice?
The invitation from the European Cultural Centre to exhibit in Venice was a perfect opportunity for me. I have a history with Venice in life and art. The romantic, art-filled city is one of my favourite destinations. My late husband Chris and I travelled to the Biennale many times together. In 2011 when the Fukushima tsunami occurred, I was drawn to the images the New York Times posted of the devastation. I collected the images but had no idea what role they would play in my practice. That summer we attended the Biennale. We were in an antique bookshop in Lido, where I found a book of 15th-century engravings of Venice featuring the wind and sea. I knew instantly engravings would be a counterpoint to tsunami images – the plight of a man trying to control nature was timeless. The outcome was A Fragile Grace, a series of large-scale mixed-media paintings on wood panels. The Corallium Series extends this conversation between the plight of saving Venice and the coral reefs.