Breisy Alejandra Castaneda Florez

"When I asked my friends to tell me about their pregnancy experiences, one answer struck me: People had stopped asking me “How are you?”, instead they were just asking “How is the baby?”. I was shocked that I did not know what they went through. In my part of this collaborative work with the emerging artist Daniella Walder, I wanted to focus on the mental changes that happen during pregnancy. With my work, I am exploring not only the positive but also the challenging side of pregnancy. Using the beauty of the shape of the growing belly as the positive, I am illustrating the baby that is about to be born and the new mother. On the other hand, the disappearing face represents the challenging and less known side of pregnancy. All the doubts, the fears, and everything changes when a woman becomes a mum."

Breisy Alejandra Castaneda Florez was born and raised in Colombia, where she studied Industrial Design and worked as a Packaging Designer for several years. Alejandra moved to Australia in 2015 and studied Jewellery Manufacture at TAFE NSW where she learned all the technicalities of jewellery making. Following a residency held at Square Peg Studio Sydney, Alejandra started her own jewellery label 'Alejandra Florez Design' where she creates pieces inspired by the female body.

Traces of Her - Series, 2021
Me, Her – traces of her, $1,860
Traces of Her (ring), $240
Traces of Her (earrings), $260
Emergence (ring), $270
Sterling silver

Emergence (necklace), $380
Sterling silver, raw emerald

Image top: Breisy Alejandra Castaneda Florez, Me, Her – traces of her, 2021. Photo: Kuba Jaroszewski