BIO | MAIA DEL ESTAL

A Biography by Eduardo Capilla

MAIA
DEL
ESTAL

(b. 1993, Buenos Aires, Argentina) is a self-taught artist raised in a family of artists, actors, and political dissidents. From a young age, Maia engaged in painting workshops and poetry readings. She was deeply influenced by the vibrant queer counterculture of Buenos Aires.

EARLy WORK

Maia began painting abstraction around the age of 14, mixing various materials on found objects. Her early work was heavily influenced by Informalism, particularly artists like Alberto Burri and Antoni Tàpies. She experimented with industrial materials 'painting' on unconventional supports.

This approach reflected her fascination with the 'life' within materials in relationship with the social context.

Maia’s early work was characterized by a humble, experimental approach, focusing on the rawness and transformation of substances.

'My early work wasn’t about composition, was about the raw action of putting things together, letting the materials speak for themselves.'

In 2015, I introduced Maia to my friend Matilde Bensignoir, who owned a spacious gallery. Impressed by Maia’s work, Matilde offered her a solo show by the end of the year. Next thing I knew, Maia was hauling massive pallets from around the neighborhood into her studio. I was amazed she could even move those things!

The exhibition featured 10 works on wooden pallets mixing tar, cement, sand, and a variety of other materials.

Matilde Bensignoir Gallery. Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2015

PUSSY

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Pussy Fashion Film S.S.16

During this period, Maia was also immersed in the fashion scene, working as a fashion director, stylist, model and photographer.

At 21 she opened Pussy a boutique with a very avant-garde and transgressive aesthetic that celebrated queer empowerment and women's sexuality. Located in a chic neighborhood within an underground gallery space. She hustled and worked tirelessly to build up the store from scratch, where models, stylists, designers, and photographers could collaborate.

Pussy allowed her to continue creating and expanding, working together with designers from all parts of South America, contributing and making independent design possible in Argentina.

The boutique was known for its originality, offering only a few pieces of each item, each unique, artsy, sexy and different.

35 mm film by Maia del Estal, PUSSY, 2016

Maia was deeply involved in every aspect of the store’s creative output. She worked actively as a photographer, capturing content for the boutique with anlog 35mm film and Polaroids. The fashion shoots were conceived with the same dark, raw aesthetics that characterized her paintings.

Maia’s brought her originality with innovative approach to fashion films and set designs, using her studio and paintings as backdrops. She created visual concepts that combined edgy models with industrial urban settings like construction sites and gritty neighborhoods, exploring how fashion intersects with urban life, showing the essence of a free, modern woman.

35 mm fil by Maia del Estal. TooMuchLove Magazine, 2016

Shot by Maia del Estal. Fashion Grunge Magazine, 2016

35 mm film by Maia del Estal - PUSSY, 2015

Maia’s influence extended beyond the creative direction of Pussy.

She collaborated with various photographers, many images capture her impact and presence, becoming a muse for so many artists, being inspired by Maia’s inner world, freedom and power.

Maia del Estal for Vogue Italy captured by Hef Prentice, 2016

Maia del Estal, 'Your trash, my body' captured by Selva Bouhet, 2015

'The shoots for Pussy were more than just fashion photography, they were an extension of myself.'

Maia del Estal, 'Full moon' captured by Hef Prentice for Naked Magazine, 2016

Maia was a feminist without being politically involved. She expressed herself through a poetic and artistic lens, empowering individuals and influencing fashion.

Pussy wasn’t just a store; it was a bold statement against societal norms and a platform that pushed the boundaries of conventionality.

It was a space for celebrating personal expression and identity.

Pussy was a reflection of Maia’s unorthodox approach to fashion and art.

Maia del Estal, 'I'm the pimp and the hoe' captured by Eduardo Capilla, 2016

Maia del Estal, at her solo show 'Vapor' at P.O.P.A Gallery, 2 016

P.O
P.A

In 2016, Maia deepened her exploration of materiality, focusing on how the structure of her supports influenced her compositions. Her second solo show, Vapor, which I curated at P.O.P.A Gallery, featured 10 works on found wood. This series abstracted matter and the pictorial representation of its memory. Incorporating empty spaces into visual narratives.

Exploring form as an ‘evaporation’ of its own substance.

'I don't like to cover 'the imperfections'.

The scars of my supports are what makes my compositions.'

There was something rebellious about Maia; she deliberately chose to use dirty, heavy, discarded materials because she saw a unique sensibility in them.

It wasn’t just about turning trash into something beautiful; it was about embracing the raw, honest nature of those materials. Maia’s experimentations were deeply intuitive and free. Her unapologetic approach to painting was wild and visceral. She painted with her hands, used rags, squeezed oil straight from the tube, completely covered in paint. Maia was fearless, in the way she applied materials with such aggressive energy, confidence, and unwavering decision.

Maia del Estal and Eduardo Capilla at the opening of 'Vapor' at P.O.P.A Gallery, 2 016

'The same thing painted on wood discarded by the industry that I find on the street has a very different ethical and aesthetic content than a canvas.'

Maia del Estal at her studio in Chacarita, CABA , Argentina. 2015

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Paintings at her studio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2016

IKEBANA

I introduced Ikebana (the Japanese art of floral arrangement) to Maia in 2014, teaching her Moribana from the Ohara school. She quickly immersed herself in the world of the flowers.

At that time, I was working on a series of performances 'Ego x Geo', combining Ikebana with live models. Maia wanted to collaborate, and together we performed in public spaces and in the studio, creating works that were as ephemeral as they were powerful.

Shot by Eduardo Capilla, 'Ego x Geo' live performance, Mexico, 2016

Ikebana strongly influenced her paintings, through the use of silent spaces, balance, and loose, flowing lines, guiding her towards a more meditative approach.

Her work during this period reflects a deep understanding of the art form, not just in technique, but in spirit.

Shot by Eduardo Capilla, 'Ego x Geo' live performance, Miami, 2023 / Shoka Ikebana by Maia del Estal, 2021.

mia

By 2017, she had sold Pussy and relocated her life in Brooklyn.

During those years Maia’s paintings evolved under the influence of abstract expressionists like Cy Twombly and Helen Frankenthaler.

Transitioning to a 'pictorial landscape,' focusing on the interplay of colors and textures that mirrored the principles of her floral compositions.

She continued working with discarded objects and began a new series using found cardboard boxes, showing their ephemeral nature and the inherent meanings into her compositions.

I invited Maia to work at my studio in Miami, and we organized a 15-days exhibition in a warehouse complex in Wynwood, that some artists had generously offered us.

Maia showcased 4 cardboard pieces, 2 canvases, and 20 drawings within the space.

Views at exhibition space, Miami, FL. 2017

'Tender rage' 70 x 50in . 2017

Toomuchlove Magazine

It has been an immense pleasure to witness Maia's growth as an artist. The potential I recognized in her at just 18 years old has blossomed into a truly extraordinary talent. I take great pride in her accomplishments and I'm committed to supporting and encouraging her as she continues to evolve.