Vega said: “I first encountered Maria’s storm paintings at a pivotal moment in my curatorial career and was instantly captivated by their unique blend of Romantic celebration of nature’s sublime and modern abstract geometries. Recognising the philosophical richness in Maria’s work, I felt a deep, personal connection to the themes of chaos and harmony within nature, themes that resonated with my own experiences and artistic journey. My championing of Maria goes beyond mere curatorship; it is a testament to my belief in the power of art as a medium for dialogue, exploration, and understanding.”

Kreyn’s attraction to the universal and the elemental perhaps comes from the Old Masters, who the artist has been looking at for most of her life, reprising some of the “things I love most in those paintings through a personal lens.” Incorporating her interests from literature and contemporary dance, Kreyn creates a kind of alchemy on the canvas where the old is enlivened by the new. The hyper realistic look of her works is achieved by using a mix of heavily impastoed brushwork and layers of semi transparent paint.

In her latest exhibition – the artist’s most ambitious project to date, curated by champion Maria Vega – Kreyn presents ten monumental paintings inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and based on Kreyn’s own observations of and responses to storms. Housed in an active Anglican church in Venice, CHRONOS also explores ancient creation mythology and origin stories, as a way of understanding our connection with our environment. The ominous, swirling skies that stretch over more than two metres of canvas also prompt reflections on climate change, and the menace of our increasingly turbulent skies. Yet Kreyn also bathes us in the pure joy of light – there are hints at the possibility of renewal and change, and even, of hope.