Maria Farrar was born in the Philippines in 1988 and brought up in Shimonoseki, Japan until the age of 15. She then moved to London, England where she now lives and works.
Farrar paints scenes derived from her everyday life or from fragments of memories. These scenes include women walking a dog or gazing into the window of a bread shop, a garden as seen through a window and make-up scattered over a dressing table. The captured moments are concrete and yet at the same time, they contain a sense of elusiveness and the feeling of a floating and expanding world. In her earlier work, Farrar used bright pigments on a raw linen support. The warm grey tones of the linen complement the pigments' colours, causing them to appear deeper and stronger. Her thick outlines and the sweep of a person's silhouette are reminiscent of East Asian calligraphy with its smudges and dry brush. Farrar is clearly aware of the views and senses which she cultivated while growing up in Japan. Among the many Japanese characteristics of her work are the calligraphic use of brushes, close ups and the unpainted margins. Farrar remarks on this as the idea of coming and going between the East (calligraphy, manga) and the West (raw lines, large oil paintings) in terms of technique, colour, narrative and reality. "Employing old techniques and acquiring new paths" is how she explains her attitude as a painter.
Maria Farrar has received her BFA from the Ruskin School of Art, in 2012 and her MFA from Slade School of Art in 2016. Her solo exhibitions include "Too late to turn back now" Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo / Singapore (2019), "Eaves Deep", mother's tankstation, London (2018), "straits", mother's tankstation, Dublin (2017), "Marine", Supplement Gallery, London (2016). Her works were included in group exhibitions including "Known Unknowns", Saatchi Gallery, London (2018). Her works have been acquired by the Saatchi Gallery Collection (London), and AmC Collezione Coppola (Venice).
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Maria FarrarBaguette, 2017Oil on linen180 x 130cm
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Maria FarrarUbe-macapuno cake, 2019Oil on linen180 x 130 cm
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Maria FarrarPuffins, 2019Pastel on paper42 x 29.7 cm
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Maria FarrarAthens, 2020Oil on linen180 x 130 cm
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Maria FarrarChelsea boots, 2020Oil on linen260 x 180 cm
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Maria FarrarSunflower, 2020Oil on linen170 x 210 cm
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Maria FarrarMelon Pan, 2021Pastel on paper42 x 30 cm
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Maria FarrarCause and Effect, 2021Oil on linen180 x 130 cm
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MARIA FARRAR
Maria Farrar 4 - 18 Feb 2023 7CHOME (Tokyo)Ota Fine Arts 7CHOME presents four works by Maria Farrar, in celebration of her participation in the group exhibition ‘Thinking about Caring and Motherhood through Contemporary Art – When? Where? By Whom? Why? How?’ at the Art Tower Mito starting from 18 February 2023.Read more -
Overseas
Maria Farrar 4 Dec 2021 - 12 Feb 2022 TokyoOta Fine Arts is pleased to present Overseas, a solo exhibition by Maria Farrar. This exhibition, her second solo presentation in Japan, will feature around 20 new paintings. Born to...Read more -
Encounter
Chen Wei, Maria Farrar, Hilmi Johandi, Zai Kuning, Guo-Liang Tan 10 Apr - 29 May 2021 SingaporeOta Fine Arts Singapore is delighted to present 'Encounter', a group exhibition featuring five artists: Chen Wei, Maria Farrar, Hilmi Johandi, Zai Kuning and Guo-Liang Tan. The media in which...Read more -
Works on Paper
Maria Farrar, Masanori Handa, Tsuyoshi Hisakado, Tang Dixin 23 Jan - 6 Mar 2021 ShanghaiOta Fine Arts Shanghai is delighted to present 'Works on Paper', an exhibition where paper is used as a common medium among four artists including Maria Farrar, Masanori Handa, Tsuyoshi...Read more -
Spring
Maria Farrar 11 Nov 2020 - 31 Jan 2021 ShanghaiOta Fine Arts Shanghai is delighted to present Spring, a solo exhibition by the London-based painter Maria Farrar featuring 11 new paintings. It will be Farrar's third exhibition with the...Read more -
Post Art Fair
Maria Farrar, Chris Huen, Hilmi Johandi, Yayoi Kusama, Nobuaki Takekawa, Guo-Liang Tan 13 Mar - 25 Apr 2020 SingaporeOta Fine Arts Singapore is delighted to present 'Post Art Fair', a group exhibition featuring a robust selection of our represented artists. In response to the cancellation of Art Basel...Read more -
Maria Farrar | Too late to turn back now
Maria Farrar 5 Oct - 9 Nov 2019 SingaporeOta Fine Arts Singapore is delighted to present 'Too late to turn back now', a solo exhibition by Maria Farrar. Farrar was born in the Philippines and brought up in...Read more -
Too late to turn back now
Maria Farrar 24 Aug - 21 Sep 2019 TokyoOta Fine Arts is delighted to present 'Too late to turn back now' by Maria Farrar, her first solo exhibition in Asia. Farrar was born in the Philippines and brought...Read more -
Present Progressive
Nobuaki Takekawa, Yoshiko Shimada, Akira the Hustler, Bubu de la Madeleine, Hiraki Sawa, Tang Dixin, Maria Farrar, Andy Warhol, Nam June Paik, Wang Zhibo, other 19 Mar - 20 Apr 2019 TokyoExhibited artists: Nobuaki Takekawa Yoshiko Shimada Akira the Hustler Bubu de la Madeleine Hiraki Sawa Tang Dixin Maria Farrar Andy Warhol Nam June Paik Wang Zhibo otherRead more
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Maria Farrar
"—Thinking about Caring and Motherhood through Contemporary Art", Art Tower Mito Contemporary Art Gallery, Ibaraki, Japan 8 Feb 2023Maria Farrar will participate in the group exhibition, '—Thinking about Caring and Motherhood through Contemporary Art' at Contemporary Art Gallery, Art Tower Mito in Ibaraki...Read more -
ART SG
Booth BD01 10 Jan 2023Ota Fine Arts will participate in 'ART SG', from 11th to 15th January 2023. Ota Fine Arts is located at Booth BD01 , presenting...Read more -
ART FAIR ASIA FUKUOKA 2022
Booth A01 24 Sep 2022Ota Fine Arts will participate in 'ART FAIR ASIS FUKUOKA 2022', from 30th September to 3rd October 2022 (HOTEL OKURA FUKUOKA only ends Oct. 2...Read more -
Art Jakarta 2022
Booth B6 26 Aug 2022Ota Fine Arts participates in 'Art Jakarta 2022', from 26th to 28th August 2022. Ota Fine Arts is located at Booth B6, presenting artworks by...Read more