ARTIST: Alana Burns

SKIRT NO: 02.028, 16.207, 16.209, 50.613 

MATERIALS: Wool skirts, tumbaga, abalone skin, metal chains, metal grommets

METHOD: Stitching, annealing

ARTIST STATEMENT

“In this work, I explore the symbolic space shared between my grandmother and Mae’s grandmother, where their histories converge and coexist. The fabrics of the skirts, intertwined with the vase and flowers, create a tangible space where these memories and stories meet."

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Alana Burns (Mexico City, 1988) is a multidisciplinary artist and trained psychologist whose practice is nourished by a sensitive engagement with memory, transformation, and nature. Based in Mexico City, her work spans encaustic painting, textiles, sculpture, and interventions on found objects—especially seashells. Her approach combines intuitive processes with deep symbolic and material reflection. Her creative journey began through poetry, where she explored themes such as nostalgia and time. Since childhood, she has collected seashells, objects that have now become essential collaborators in her sculptural practice. Through subtle gestures and interventions, Alana transforms these natural fragments into poetic pieces that reframe the ephemeral. In her pictorial work, she has specialized in the use of pigmented wax, a material she manipulates as if it were liquid, creating floating surfaces that evoke inner worlds. Inspired by the transformative power of candles, her focus on encaustic painting reflects a commitment to the mutable essence of materials. Her sculptural project around the shell as a living archive has been developed in collaboration with local artisans—particularly in Taxco—creating works that oscillate between the ritual, the everyday, and the timeless. This search deeply informed by her background in psychology—explores how art can become a space for healing and encounter.