Malena Guerrieri

Description

The image of the apple tree, which appears as a central object in this piece, originates from the apple orchards that are ubiquitous in my parents’ homeland. These orchards, often serving as final resting places for departed elders, have become a point of departure for my reflections on the question of roots. My long-term contemplation of the themes of origin and homeland has gradually led the apple tree to become one of my primary subjects of creation.
When pondering the notion of homeland, the apple tree acts as a guide, carrying my thoughts from the land of my birth to another space—prompting renewed introspection and self-inquiry. To me, it seems to be connected to the vanished presences that once existed in my spiritual homeland—a connection that bridges spaces as well as the dual definitions of identity within the self. At the same time, It is a confrontation—a clash between two spaces, a resistance where vanished entities, in their stillness, defy the relentless march of linear time.
Through the aquatint technique in printmaking, I achieved this background color. Within it, I seem to grasp the same unspoken emotion—released yet restrained—that I have long derived from the theme of homeland. This emotion guided me to depict the apple tree in the composition, and the way it exists within the painting mirrors the symbiotic relationship of connection and confrontation that I have come to understand through my reflections on the idea of homeland.