Artist Pia Camil Finds Inspiration in the Trees

Artist Pia Camil Finds Inspiration in the Trees

By

Nadine Zylberberg,

a freelance writer who covers movies, art, and pop culture

For Mexican artist Pia Camil, the world around her has always been a part of her practice, whether it’s a secondhand market on the outskirts of Mexico City, a series of abandoned billboards, or the plantain trees in her backyard. “Once I zoom in on something, there’s a natural unfolding,” she tells The Cut. Camil studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design, graduating in 2003, and soon began delving into other mediums. “My preferred methodology was being outside on the street with a camera, documenting things that interested me and trying to build on that,” Camil says. After completing her M.F.A. at London’s Slade School of Fine Art in mixed media, she returned to Mexico City to begin working on a combination of textiles, performance art, and site-specific installations.