PRACTICA.
B.BALLIRÒ
16 APRIL–3 MAY
This body of work sits at the intersection of being "too much" & holding back. It is a practice in self-regulation; an attempt to tame intrusive emotions through expression.
Each piece holds a tension between what is felt internally & what is shown externally, pushing against a cultural shift that glorifies emotional stoicism and nonchalance.
To feel deeply is to be labelled dramatic, to care openly is to be dismissed as ‘cringe’. Emotion is increasingly quashed or redirected into private spaces - contained, managed, & deferred.
As AI accelerates & further mediates how we communicate + present ourselves, the viscerality of the human experience risks being smoothed into a vanillaness more palatable & less real. This body of work resists that flattening. It insists on the value of unfiltered, unedited feeling: raw, immediate, and embodied.
Across oil paint, pastel, ink, and acrylic, B.Balliro moves between shifting states, held together by an intentional juxtaposition of inner turmoil and soothing rituals of food, touch and texture. Subjects shift, but the visual language remains consistent: rough, thrown lines and a vibrant, signature colour palette.
Like life, Practica embraces duality. It thrives in contradiction and grows through tension: loud yet regulated, messy yet intentional, feminine yet feral. These works are not just paint, but an imprint of release within a society that expects containment.
It is a personal practice in more ways than one.
exhibition collection
B. Balliro is a self-taught artist who has been developing her practice for over a decade. Working independently, she has built a distinct visual language through sustained experimentation, mentorship, and instinct-led making. Her expression is self-directed and unapologetic - driven by a belief that creative authority does not require pedigree or permission.
Her work has been shaped through immersive residencies and mentorship both locally and internationally, including periods in Italy and southern England. These experiences have expanded her material language and deepened her instinct-led approach to painting. In 2024, she presented her debut solo exhibition, Lei Mangia, which sold out in full.
Her process is instinctual, reactive, and unrestrained. Working primarily in oil and acrylic, alongside pencil and pastel, she embraces colour and chaos - throwing lines led by mood and casting unexpected perspectives.
Her work is underpinned by a personal rejection of inherited ideas around gender and lineage. Once told that ‘daughters do not matter because they do not carry the last name’, she now carries it ostentatiously throughout her work- reclaiming both her Italian heritage and proud femininity. Her artistic style is evolving; refined through ongoing practice and a commitment to growth. She creates like she lives: with intensity, feminine expression and a spicy spike of defiance.
