Amazonic Ashes

Solo show in Somers Gallery curated by Pietro Cattai

5th - 9th of March 2025

Alessandra Risi, a Peruvian painter born in Lima and currently based in London, weaves the history of her country into her artistic practice, both through her use of colour and the themes explored in her paintings. Amazonic Ash is her first solo exhibition in England, addressing the themes of fire and destruction. For Alessandra, this episode represents a moment of profound significance and tragedy for Peru, serving as a stark manifestation of the cultural conflict she experiences as an artist. Her canvases become an extension of her homeland, reflecting its environmental and cultural condition. In September 2024, the Peruvian Amazon was devastated by unprecedented wildfires, with over 3,000 hectares of forest, protected areas, and farmland reduced to ashes. These fires resulted in at least 16 deaths and 134 injuries, affecting 22 out of Peru’s 24 regions.

The deliberate nature of these fires can be traced back to a cultural legacy inherited from Spanish colonialism—a mindset that often fails to understand or respect the land it inhabits. The root causes of these catastrophic events lie in an economic perspective that views nature purely as a resource to be exploited, without regard for the delicate balance required to sustain ecosystems and society itself. While this mentality is largely driven by capitalism, it also manifests in a religious deviation: esoteric groups performing rituals in the forests, using fire recklessly and ultimately triggering environmental disasters. 

The conquest of Tawantinsuyu—the Inca Empire—by Spanish conquistadors took place in 1532. Once colonial rule was established, the primary objective was the evangelisation of the indigenous population. Among the various techniques employed, Spanish missionaries introduced painting to South America, giving rise to artistic movements of a religious nature, aimed at replacing indigenous belief systems with Catholicism. It was within painting that the cultural conflict between pre-Hispanic societies and colonial rule was most vividly expressed—a conflict that continues to evolve in Alessandra Risi’s artistic practice.Her work narrates a tension that remains strikingly relevant, both in the history of her country and in her personal experience. South America, traditionally characterised by its lush vegetation, is here traversed by the force of fire—a symbol of conflict, yet also a harbinger of renewal. In a striking turn of events, the 2024 Peruvian wildfires were partially extinguished by nature itself, as three days of continuous rainfall helped to subdue the flames, offering a glimmer of hope for regeneration.

Through her use of colour and materiality, Alessandra’s works evoke this duality between destruction and rebirth, between pain and resilience. Her artistic research is deeply rooted in a sense of belonging to her homeland and its history, yet also shaped by the physical distance imposed by her life in London. This dichotomy between displacement and connection is reflected in her canvases, where fire is not only an agent of devastation but also of transformation. 

Amazonic Ash emerges as a visual and symbolic reflection on the relationship between humans and nature, on historical memory, and on the ongoing cultural conflicts that remain unresolved. Through her work, Alessandra Risi invites us to reconsider how we inhabit the world, what we have inherited from the past, and how we might envision a future in greater harmony with the land that sustains us.