Creating a major body of works

Creating a large body of work that invites the viewer into a deep insight whilst remaining strong and cohesive has been quite a meditative process, hence my ‘silence’ during the past year.

As I am growing older, I find myself constantly writing down phrases, memories, and traditions; in the hope that I won’t forget them as a natural consequence of my aging process. 

 I have used these writings as a starting point for this exhibition.

The concept behind the definition of the word ‘Palimpsest’ has been applied to the way in which words, paint, and collaged materials were used in the preparation of these works.

The written words that collect an encyclopedia of personal memories have been scrapped, wiped out, deleted, and rewritten, in every painting, allowing for a reconstruction of layer over layer. The final text appears blurred, simile to how some memories do and its examination in the presence of organic and strong marks resulted in intriguing paintings.

For years, I have distanced myself from my own migration process, as a mechanism of self-preservation. Working through this exhibition not just helped me reconnect with my past but also served as a channel for acceptance and content.

‘Palimpsest’ represents the process of self-reinvention that I have been subject to through the years as an immigrant, professionally and personally.

Palimpsest: A document, a script, a parchment, a scroll.

A "palimpsest" is a manuscript page, whether from a scroll or a book, that has had its text scraped or washed off to be used again as another document. During the 6th century when parchment was not readily available, a page was often reused by scrapping off the previous writing. With the passing of time, traces of the earlier writing would show through, and scholars were able to decipher earlier texts. Today, in colloquial language, the term is frequently used in architecture and archaeology to denote an object made or worked upon for one purpose and later reused for another. In forensic science, the term refers to the reconstruction of events, and in nature, the landscape remodels and reshapes based on its previous forms.  

The 'oops' and the 'yay' from behind the scenes.

I have been working for more than a year toward my upcoming solo exhibition. A year is a lot of time so anything can happen!

Maybe the biggest ‘oops’ was accidentally tearing a big and beautiful painting. So here goes the story:

I was working on a large canvas that due to its size, I was unable to fit it whole on my studio floor. To solve this problem, I would unroll enough canvas to work on, then roll it and unroll the next section. I kept building layers this way for some time; being unable to assess the progression of the work fully stretched. The coordinates of the brushstrokes and marks were all pictured in my head.

As I kept progressing in this work, I reached the point in which I really needed to extend it on the floor to finish it so one day I moved everything I could around the studio to clear the floor as much as possible. This was Mayday! As I was pulling on one end to make more room, the painting got caught between furniture and all I could hear was the tear of the canvas. My beautiful painting had torn almost a meter in! I wanted to cry of course, but instead, I pulled myself together and grabbed each edge of the canvas to finish the job of tearing it completely until I divided the painting in two.

Today each individual work is nothing near to what they were when they were one, and I believe this oops is actually a beautiful story with a lot to learn from. It also provided for a big yay!

So yes, there have been some ‘oops’ and some ‘yay!’ moments but in the end, I had fun and feel pretty excited about this show.

INTENTION: My word for 2023

At the beginning of every year, I pick up a word that I shall try to stick by in everything I do. Last year was CHALLENGE, and I do believe I lived by it. I set big goals for my art practice and I was able to reach most of them - happy girl here - but I also paid a toll for this.

The word I selected for 2023 is INTENTION.

Why?

I am not the type of person that likes to get too comfortable in their shoes and keep challenging myself constantly. This, of course, is great! It is how we grow and how we can achieve huge things. I proved this to myself last year, but living in a constant stretch of your emotional and intellectual muscle groups also has its disadvantage and puts you at risk of acting without INTENTION.

This year I am setting myself up for what I am calling “intentional challenges”. This means my goals will be based on curated intentions that will push me forward and that will require me to take inspired actions. So rather than achieving just for the sake of ‘doing’, I’ll have to be present in the moment - which is a lot to ask for someone that lacks patience as I do.

If 2022 was the year of reaching milestones by leaving fear behind, then 2023 is the year of curating my projects for steady growth.

I hope this exploration allows me to produce art that I feel proud of and that you enjoy witnessing.

Watch the space!