Yes

Maria Cruz was born in Manila in 1957. She first studied art at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila before relocating to Sydney in 1981 to attend the Sydney College of the Arts. In 1985-86 she undertook post-graduate studies at Kunstakademie Dusseldorf with Professor Klaus Rinke, and subsequently returned to Australia.

Between 1990 and 2008 she held teaching positions at Australian National University, Sydney College of the Arts and the University of Western Sydney. In these roles she taught numerous artists now held in the collection, among them: Julie Fragar, David Griggs, Fiona Lowry, Nell, Tim Silver and Gemma Smith.

'Yes' 2007 relates to Cruz’s ongoing body of landscape paintings, many of which portray strange supernatural forces or dreamlike imagery. The word “yes” is a recurring idea and motif in Cruz art. Another painting, 'Yes yes yes' portrays an Ono song title, while in many other paintings the letter “o” is repeated in reference to Filipino word for “yes”, “oo”. Cruz has reflected that, when spoken, “oo”, has a wider range of meanings including “gentleness, generosity, openness, strength, tenacity, and determination all at once.”