Paola Estrella

Last week to visit ‘The Cenote Ring’, a solo exhibition of recent works by multimedia artist Paola Estrella @py_star at @hs_projects 5 Howick Place, Victoria, London, SW1P 1AU Opening hours: Monday - Friday 10am - 6pm On view until the 12th of December DM for guided visits and full catalogue of artworks Comprising two distinct, yet intricately connected parts, this exhibition follows Estrella’s recent performance @stonenest_ldn and constitutes the artist’s interpretation of the unique geological formations in her native Mexico, which have served as a source of wonder and inspiration for generations of explorers and storytellers. Estrella perceives the underwater landscapes, which were formed by an ancient asteroid impact, as sites of myth, memory and transformation, depicting the otherworldly atmosphere of the overgrown sinkholes in layers of vibrant textures and forms. The paintings capture the natural beauty of the caves, their unique characteristics and narratives, connecting into sites of ecological and spiritual sonority. Photos @thierry_bal

Thank you to everyone who was there for the culmination of The Cenote Ring. You filled the space and more importantly, myself to maximum capacity. 💫 I was deeply moved by my collaborators, who delivered profound and impeccable performances. It felt magical to orchestrate a combination of mediums to channel what forms us and at the same time, exceeds us. A portal truly opened through the power of storytelling. Thank you: @stonenest_ldn for providing the perfect venue @aceagrams for the resources @hs_projects & @orleanshousegallery for the support @bon_music_vision for trusting the process, dreaming big and for the fuel you both provided all along @montaneramusica you are an alien on earth, I hope your voice continues to appear in my dreams @costaskazantzis for channeling a whole vision into the digital realm and making it so much fun @movementbypierre for contributing with your talent and emotional support when things were being challenging @gabriellevenguer for bringing such professional costumes into life and your constant sparkle @pitarreola for such an insightful conversation @malgorzata_lisiecka for sharing your experience and knowledge for the stage design @ikerwan for the purest love and for tolerating me when talking about cenotes and asteroids 24/7 for over a year @karec5 @benjaminec_ @lauracont1 for being involved in the storytelling and to everyone else who has taken part in this journey! Director of videography: @therecordingrat B camera: @huge_chevrotain Photographer: @stylian____ Lightning design: @beril.yavuz Technicians: Yi Wen

Join us for the third instalment of WIP: Sharing Space – an evening of work-in-progress performances led by Diasporas Now artist Paola Estrella. Mexico-born and London-based, Estrella (@py_star ) is a multimedia artist working across painting, video, installation, and performance. Drawing on speculative fiction, her practice investigates how imagination, technology, and belief systems shape identity, social norms, and our sense of reality. Through her work, she invites audiences to consider the intricate interplay between personal and collective worldviews. For this edition, Paola collaborates with ICA Creatives Elie Arden, Jiho Lee, and Sofia Pomeroy, cultivating a space of mentorship, skill-sharing, and creative exchange. 🗓 Wed 3 Dec, 7pm 🎟 Book now via @icalondon – link in bio 1 Israel Casas 2 Yulian Fotones @yulianfotones 3 Bahia Ayos @therecordingrat 4 Thierry Bal @thierry_bal @diasporas_now #DiasporasNow #ICACreatives #SpeakingFutures #WIP #SharingSpace #WorkInProgress #EmergingArtists #LiveArt #ICA

Today was the last session of BA Photography at @lsbu_photo after a very successful degree show at Copeland Gallery. Congratulations! I closed this five-year cycle feeling very moved by the students who chose creative paths during complex times, when we seem to be losing sight of what’s really valuable and at a moment when courses like this are closing, pointing to a wider crisis in creative education. Communities don’t need creators of content, but creators of meaning. They reminded me that if art chooses you to be a channel of possibilities, you need to respond with resilience and commitment. Massive thanks to my mentor and friend @simon_terrill , to @chantalfaust for connecting us, and to @tomchaplinphoto @buncefieldmedia , Geoff Cox, David Lewis, @oliverspier and @mobile_strategies (amongst others) for being part of the journey. May new doors open soon. 💫

Deconstructing the Altar was performed a month ago at @icalondon collaboration with @juliethlozanosoprano . It felt as if something larger was at play in Julieth and I meeting. We connected over cumbia candles 🕯️, the 5th element, loosing the ones we love, La Guadalupana, and the tension between belonging, living outside the homeland and pursuing a dream. This encounter made me believe even more in synchronicity and the intuitive forces that shape our creative paths. The performance was part of @diasporas_now Takeover. 🙏 Special thanks to: @gulcetulcali for filming the visuals, @hannahgeddes1 for curating, @eray________________ for the care, @kenkichieno , @camdeas and Ben Asante for the technical support, @leocarltonworld for styling, @bon_music_vision for recording in the studio Images by @georgeambrown , video content by @georgeambrown and @xxeniablackk

Diasporas Now is a collective reshaping the relationship between artists and institutions. Founded in 2021 by RIEKO, Paola Estrella and Lulu Wang, the group moves with intention, not at the margins, but through the centre of some of the Global Minority’s most established cultural institutions.  As a self-described Trojan horse, Diasporas Now slips quietly into institutional structures of power and tradition, embedding the collective – and fellow artists of the Global Majority. Through presence, disruption and deep collaboration, they open space not only for themselves, but for those underrepresented, overlooked and unsupported in the cultural sphere.  Read more in ACV3 INBETWEEN, available now.  Photography by Matt Maurice (@matttmaurice ) Lighting and assistance by Charlie Williams (@charliewilliamsphoto ) Creative Direction by Diasporas Now (@diasporas_now ) Styling by Mainline:RUS/Fr.CA/DE (@mainline_rusfrcade ) Interview with RIEKO (@riekowhitfield ), Lulu Wang (@lulu_wangyx ) and Paola Estrella (@py_star ) Location Institute of Contemporary Arts (@icalondon )

Mexican multimedia artist Paola Estrella (@py_star ) will present her performance ‘Deconstructing the Altar’ for @diasporas_now ’s artist takeover on 7/3. ‘Deconstructing the Altar’ will be presented at @icalondon with soprano and musician Juliet Lozano (@juliethlozanosoprano ). It explores what remains when belief systems are dismantled, connecting tradition with lived experience and reflecting on faith beyond institutional authority. 📌 Sat 7 Mar, 3pm–late 🔗 Book now via the link in bio Image credits: Image 1 - Gulce Tulcali @gulcetulcali Image 4 - Miguel Ángel Palafox @mike_the_elder #SpeakingFutures #DiasporasNow #ICA #ArtistTakeover performance

I have the pleasure of teaching Term 2 of ICA Creatives alongside @jshwlfrd . It is an incredible group of young practitioners from different backgrounds with exciting ideas. Last Saturday I led a session where we worked on developing a time-based multimedia live-art piece in groups; weaving meaning, translating from one medium to another, and finding threads to connect stories. The outcome was very inspiring, I can’t wait to see what they make next. This programme is part of the @diasporas_now year-long artist residency @icalondon . Big thank you to @hannahgeddes1 for the opportunity and @eray________________ and Ali Mohamed for the support.

What invisible forces do you feel while creating? “Creative forces disrupt the notion of linear time. Past, present, and future blur, overlap, or collapse into each other while I’m working. There’s a sense of accessing something that’s always there yet not fully graspable, a kind of latent knowledge or presence. I don’t experience it as something external or mystical in a dramatic way, but as a quiet, persistent pull that guides decisions, rhythms, and forms as they emerge.” — Paola Estrella, Mexico City, Mexico and London, United Kingdom @py_star @artistsoncouches Photo credit: Diana Ghetau @dianaaveclacamera Cape designed in collaboration with @gabriellevenguer #PaolaEstrella #artistsoncouches #onthecouch #artistarchive #creativeconsciousness

WIP: Sharing Space led by Diasporas Now artist Paola Estrella (@py_star ) at @icalondon joined by ICA Creatives Elie Arden (@elie.arden ), Jiho Lee (@whataholiday.jiho ) and Sofia Pomeroy (@sofipomeroy ). They collectively presented a performance about process - shaped by opacity, becoming, layering, and transitions that emerged through collaborative making, followed by a conversation about the artist’s practices inspired by translation, shifting, resisting, and weaving meaning. WIP: Sharing Space is part of @diasporas_now residency at @icalondon . Programmed by Hannah Geddes (@hannahgeddes1 ) Stay tuned for upcoming Diasporas Now x ICA Speaking Futures events in February and March. More details to be announced soon. #diasporasnow #ica #wipsharingspace Image 1 by @eray________________ Images 2-6 by @whataholiday.jiho

Images from the stand of @cramerstgallery at @londonartfair where I exhibited Cenote Ik Kil and Floating Flowers. The exhibition of FORM - featuring women artists continues at Cramer St Gallery in Marylebone (Central London) until the 1st of February. There, you can find Cenote Cycles, Blue Cenote 2 and Cenote Na Yah. Artists participating: @laurenbakerart @isabelpeplow @lydiasmithartist @gabyjonna @py_star @catherine.eldridge @laurenbakerart @nettiedraws @non_tech_savvy @toripounds_ @cynthiayeemx @sarahzakphotography #londonartfair #londonartfair2026

Last year The Ball was acquired during @londonartfair where my work was exhibited with @metamorphika.studio . I hold this piece very close to my heart, so I made sure to scan it with Cultural Heritage Digitalisation in Surrey and they did an incredible job!! This year @justtomchaplin has helped me print an artist copy (same size as the original one) and a series of editions of it. I was impressed with the result. Of course the original one is hand painted and this is a digital copy, but the detail is fantastic. Thanks to everyone involved in the process. This year you can find my work at @londonartfair fair with @cramerstgallery (stand E19); I highly recommend visiting @metamorphika.studio stand too (E13). Images 1,2,4,5,6,7,8 scans Images 3,9 original work