Mariana Mauricio began working with found photographs towards the end of her degree at Central Saint Martins. She raided family and company archives, and made regular trips to flea markets in search of a very particular brand of images. These tended to be odd looking, either because their source and subjects were unknown, or simply because they were meant to be discarded in the first place. By juxtaposing and manipulating these broken memories of others she rewrote personal histories and crafted new layers of meaning.
Mauricio has grown into a scavenger par excellence, who systematically identifies, collects and moves piles of discarded furniture, building parts, and other found objects into her studio. The sheer effort involved in moving about piles of other peoples’ junk is what has become important to her. She wants to create new uses and narratives for said detritus. On the same token, she began repurposing unused canvases from her days as an art student. She fills their insides with concrete, among other things. Yet the found images still make an appearance here and there. She is at her best when she is able to reconcile the archival and recycling impulses behind her modus operandi and suggest new ways of being and belonging in our ever so saturated media crazed consumer society.