Under the motto SILENT DIALOGUES, 15 artists from Europe and the USA will present two of their works each in the GRACE DENKER GALLERY from April 22, 2022, giving an insight into their work and arousing curiosity for more. The different approaches, ideas and concepts create a special, inspiring experience.
Get to know the exhibitors better in the following article and gain insight into their artistic work and artistic concepts. The exhibitors answer us about what art means to them, what their artistic process looks like, how they came to art, what defines their art, how they start and what materials they use. They also explain the impact their art can have on the world.
The following artists were interviewed: Anja van Heesch, Barbara Uhsadel, Christine Hachbarth, Ewa Martens, Gorica Kiesshauer, Katharina Stegmeier, Letizia Pecci, Maja Weller, Marika Fleck, Natasa Boskovski, Olga Manilov, Rochelle Berman, Saskia Schulz, Teodora Dumitrache.
Register for the vernissage at: https://www.artcraftliving.com
Anja van Heesch
I try to capture and express beautiful and special moments with my art. I put what I like on the canvas. For example, flowers, champagne and all shades between light pink and neon pink.
I want to touch people's hearts by triggering positive moods. I want people to take a positive feeling when they look at my pictures, remembering a special moment and enjoying the here and now.
My works of art "CLOUD C" and "CLOUD ROSE" show a moment in which you feel like you are in heaven above the clouds. It is a moment full of lightness, peace and abundance. We have many of these moments in our lives. The art is to recognize them.
Even as a child, I preferred to create my pictures with things I found rather than painting landscapes, for example. Art itself was always in my life, but for a long time it was in the background. It took me a few detours to fully get involved in it.
I work with acrylic, dried flowers and synthetic resin. I use the synthetic resin to preserve the flowers and thus capture their beauty.
My pictures are usually very feminine and, in my opinion, absolutely positive in their choice of colors. Flowers are my role model here. Pink, purple, pink and yellow are my favorite colors.
With my art I want to remind people how beautiful life is and how important it is to be aware of this every day. Whatever is outside, concentrating on the small and big miracles often makes a big difference. My pictures should always be a friendly reminder of this.
Barbara Uhsadel
My whole life is creative, even if perhaps not the typical biography of an artist. I work in our family business, design perfumes and cosmetics - also very creative for me. I am moved by many things and have created a lot of them. But my great passion is and remains art. As soon as I enter my studio, a completely different world awaits me, in which freedom has a new meaning. At some point I claimed that the expression in my pictures cannot be influenced by anything. But today I have a different opinion. My stay in a Buddhist monastery in China had the greatest impact on me. This gave my life a new spiritual dimension, which is also reflected in my pictures. The same goes for our current events - the three "Cs" - Corona, the war in Ukraine, climate change. For me, abstract painting is an expression of freedom. I am fascinated by all materials, but especially canvas and paper. For me, a white canvas is still the virginal beginning of a new creative process. What could be nicer? So far I have only painted with acrylic. Recently I have been experimenting more and more with other materials such as ink and Japanese calligraphy pens. It is an exciting process that has a lasting impact on and enriches my life now and in the future.
Christine Hackbarth
My artistic concept is that through my pictures I open up a new world for the viewer to immerse themselves in.
I start with a blank canvas and have no idea how the picture will turn out. I usually work in layers. I put on a layer and let it dry. Then I go over it again later. I paint abstractly and there are often many layers on top of each other that then make up the whole.
Abstract landscapes and nature are always reflected in my pictures. For me, nature is the ultimate; without it, we humans cannot exist, nor can plants and animals. On the one hand, I see nature as big, strong and powerful, but on the other hand, nature is also vulnerable, as we can see from our environmental problems.
My works of art represent a piece of nature as I see and feel it.
After graduating from high school, I studied agriculture and graduated. I worked in the agricultural sector for a few years. But I missed being able to create something, to be creative. So I quit my job and studied fine art again at the Faber-Castell Academy in Stein near Nuremberg. I had already painted before, but it was only through my studies that I was able to express myself artistically.
I mainly work with oil paints on canvas. Sometimes I mix different things, but oil paint is always involved. I like the brilliance of oil paints and their soft, supple consistency. And also the fact that you can work with the paints wet on wet for a long time directly on the canvas. Sometimes I also use materials that stick out, like cardboard, paper, pieces of lino, pieces of wood, etc. The result is something like a collage or a slightly three-dimensional effect.
I prefer to work with cool colors like blue or green. And within these colors I like to work with different color nuances. I personally prefer cool, Nordic landscapes with rugged rocks, stones and seas. I prefer that to southern landscapes, which are too lovely for me. I usually use the three primary colors yellow, red, blue, as well as white and black. I mix all the other colors myself.
Nature doesn't need us humans, but we need nature; we can't live without it. But we also have to protect it so that there is a future.
Ewa Martens
My artistic concept is to process what I have experienced in my works. To express the emotions that accompany me every day. I often begin my work intuitively, approaching a canvas meditatively, full of excitement and curiosity about where events will lead me.
Frieda Kahlo once said, "I paint because I need to." I feel the same way; I need to encounter art in order to bring my inner world to the outside world and to explore myself.
My works of art tell of my emotions in an abstract way. Sometimes they are happy and cheerful, which is reflected in the colors, sometimes dreamy or thoughtful.
I have been drawing and painting since my early childhood. Art has been with me my whole life. Later I attended art school, which I graduated with honors.
I mainly paint with acrylic paints, but also use many other media, such as inks, structural pastes, chalk, sand, fabrics, paper.
All of these materials play an important role in the creation of my paintings and serve to enhance the expression and create tension in a work.
My color palette is different, just as my mood varies when I paint. I often use strong colors (blue, red, neon pink or neon orange). I want my works to shine and radiate power and liveliness. At the same time, I strive for a harmonious result.
Abstract art is diverse and universal. Everyone can interpret it differently. I want to invite the viewer to a dialogue, to engage with the works and feel what they trigger inside. I hope that my art brings joy to people and a positive view of the world.
Gorica Kiesshauer
In my normal professional life I am an analyst, sports and animal lover, and I have lived in Munich for 47 years, or rather in the Munich "outback" for about 4 years.
Not long ago, I accidentally discovered my love for abstract acrylic painting and realized how much pent-up creativity I have within me.
As an autodidact, I taught myself (abstract) painting and acrylic pouring. In fact, creativity, an indomitable curiosity and imagination reflect most of my personality - and complement my otherwise quite introverted character and way of life.
Since then, art has been the “missing piece of the puzzle” in my life.
However, I still find it difficult, or rather I don't want to commit to or limit myself to a specific technique, fixed color palette, or genre. I'm always surprised when I wake up in the morning and conjure up something completely new on the canvas. A picture is finished when it's finished. I often even have the impression that the picture tells me what it wants, or what is still missing. I mainly create abstract landscapes with a lot of structure and contrast. The color palette changes between natural, warm brown and rust tones, and even bright colored pencil colors.
My pictures are meant to evoke emotions and feelings in the viewer. Whether it's joy, lightness, sadness, pain or just "good vibes" - I leave that up to the viewer.
My main materials are primarily acrylic paints, structural paste (eg marble powder), and everything, really everything, that I can get my hands on and with which I can conjure up new, fascinating effects. Nature, the universe, and harmonious geometry inspire me every day.
And if it takes 2 weeks or longer and I've painted over it 3 times in that time, then that's just part of the process. And that's exactly why I love art - it gives me the freedom to do anything, to think anything. To experiment with my thoughts, fears and emotions as much as I want.
In life it is often "either - or", and often enough you simply want both, an "AND" - this is different in art. Everything is possible, everything is allowed, art has no limits.
My motto since then has been: It is never too late for a new love - whether for yourself, for someone else, or for ART - art finds YOU!
Katharina Stegmeier
I find this question very difficult to answer, at least the part that deals with the idea of art. Art is concrete, something is implemented, even if nothing concrete comes out of it. Art surrounds us, it is part of our everyday lives and, in my opinion, always has to do with handicraft or artistry. Art transforms something (e.g. impression, society, emotion, experience), it is the translation into another - and in my case, colorful - language. My concept is that of beauty or aesthetics: it is immanent in the essence of things (the principle of symmetry, for example, or harmony). I feel when an image from within me wants to surface on the canvas - and then I just start. Or I think about topics and then have to translate them into my artistic language in order to be able to process them better.
Art comes from within me, each work has grown and is connected to me like an entry in a diary or something similar. The concept of beauty appeals to me because it is an art to live a beautiful life, to be happy, to see beauty. Beauty does not exist without a counterpart, it is an extremely ambivalent construct. As an optimist, I see beauty and curiosity (the latter as the key to open perception) in everyday life and have chosen not to live a life full of fear or doubt.
My work may not always be easy to understand. It is not only about beauty and aesthetics, but also about ambivalence, ruptures or even social criticism. My canvas paintings hide tiny secrets - every single one of them. The secrets are incorporated objects or symbols - sometimes a fingerprint is depicted, an intentional irregularity is woven into the pattern or another image is hidden under the main motif. For example, "Pollen", without giving away the secret (this is only given to buyers): The work shows the delicate moment when magnificent flower umbels are about to wilt and be blown away. The moment of greatest beauty also marks decay. Or "The Tree": letters and scraps of text are incorporated and become part of the motif. They reproduce recently published texts on climate protection and governance and thus contain a critical moment of statement. The brightness that flows into the picture from the right seems like a glimmer of hope and a promise of good times.
I have learned that you can convey what you have experienced, as I come from an artistic family. From childhood, my inner world was different from how others perceived it. It is characterized in particular by openness to differences, a love of experimentation and curiosity. But showing this was also an act of courage for me: the fear of being judged and compared accompanied me for years. Through my art history studies, I acquired knowledge that still helps me in my expression today.
Acrylic on canvas is ideal for expressing complexity, revealing facets and hiding secrets - it is versatile and produces colourful results that also shine for a long time. This is the ideal combination for my message.
I can't really answer that, because it depends on what I want to depict. I always know how it feels, what I want to depict - and then I choose the colors, which are then added to during the creative process. The picture grows and often has several layers until it is finished. It does happen that I look up the color effect before I start working.
I am convinced that everyone has a choice to discover beauty and can work towards approaching situations with curiosity (instead of fear). And I want to show that often more
behind it, which is why complexity and little hidden secrets are so important to me. I paint for people who like to look for hidden messages and who want to take the time to discover more. Therefore, every canvas painting has at least one hidden secret that I have incorporated. So I make art for people who are curious about the beauty of things and to whom my works tell a little about it with every glance.
Letizia Pecci
My art stems from the desire to break out of the patterns, obligations and rules that have long shaped my life as a mother and wife.
Art was and is my most intimate expression of freedom, the world into which I can escape and be myself. In front of the blank canvas or blank paper, I forget who I am, because all that counts is what I want to paint or draw, and above all the emotion I want to express.
The nature and landscape of my homeland, Tuscany in Italy, were my first source of inspiration, supported also by my studies of literature and art history at the University of Florence. I learned to follow the undulating line of the hills, but also to observe and draw the faces of the great masters of the Renaissance in their delicate and refined features.
Work and family took me to Berlin, where I experienced the exciting vitality of a multi-ethnic and, above all, multicultural metropolis, where art seemed to fall outside the framework and did not care about the legacy of the past.
But during these years I also learned that artistic freedom is only possible when the artist feels free to express himself.
In my creative process, I love experimenting with and mixing different materials and media, especially acrylic paints, alcohol inks, various markers and especially collage. I use homemade prints on fabric paper, tissue paper and rice paper to add texture, structure and depth. On the canvas, I work in several, deliberately coordinated layers, mixing acrylic and alcohol inks with the aforementioned media.
The use of collage represents for me an infinite world of expressive possibilities, especially the play with the different patterns that alternate and overlap. The aim is to find a balance and a connection between the patterns printed on semi-transparent paper and those drawn and painted.
This technique plays a major role especially in my landscapes and botanical works, where the lines seem to follow each other, intertwine, transform into dots, networks and then into new patterns and new lines.
The part of the figurative works is the most introspective. I focus on female figures and faces, which are interpreted as masks of emotions, in which a part is always hidden or distorted. It is above all about showing the complexity of being a woman with all its more or less visible painful or beautiful sides.
The women in my portraits represent strong female figures who master life despite difficulties. Sometimes they hide part of their face to protect themselves and sometimes they show their wounds courageously and without shame.
I'm not looking for the beauty in a woman's face, but for the intensity of her expression.
Both "Il grido" and "il pianto" belong to a series of paintings that I dedicate to the complexity of the female world, often enclosed in too narrow "frames" and entangled in more or less invisible webs.
"Il Grido" (=The Scream) is the representation of a female face mask breaking through a barrier, a border or a breaking glass. The scream expresses the fatigue of trying to free oneself.
It seems as if a light suddenly illuminates this face that is trying to rise from a fleeting world.
"Il Pianto" (= "The Crying") shows a suffering and crying face, caught and half covered in a net, the weave of which has the shape of many raindrops or tears. The cold color turquoise predominates, but the few brushstrokes in magenta, which look like open wounds, give the picture liveliness.
The aim of these images is to draw attention to the feelings a face evokes, rather than the aesthetics of the face itself. In a society where modern women, especially the younger generations, are increasingly enslaved by aesthetics and image, the aim of my art is to show women free from all imposed canons. I believe the greatest transgression for a woman is to always be herself.
Maja Weller
I was born in 1969 in Tyumen, grew up in Alchevsk and live and work in a suburb of Hamburg. I began to love painting and drawing as a child.
For me, art is a harmony of my emotions, thoughts and dreams. Through their shapes, colors and movements, my paintings tell their own stories. I work with different media (acrylic paints, watercolor, pigments, metal leaf, liquid acrylic paints) and a variety of techniques. I like soft, blurred colors and the shine of gold tones.
I like images that question the fragility and instability of our seemingly safe reality
Sometimes my paintings exude a certain coldness and sometimes a disturbing beauty. My works have always been largely abstract and reflected my feelings. Time and memories always play a key role. I like to create dreamlike images where fiction and reality meet, meanings shift, past and present merge. Most of the time my works do not refer to recognizable forms. I always try to address a wide range of topics in a multi-layered way. This often results in the viewer easily making their own interpretations.
Marika Fleck
For me, art is an expression of a longing for divine creation. By being creative ourselves, we as humans gradually approach this. Only because someone has placed this ability to be creative in us are we able to express our ideas.
I can only depict something on canvas that is already inside me. These are, for example, certain colors that form a picture in my imagination, usually paired with certain shapes and techniques. Other times it is a theme that preoccupies me and wants to take shape after a certain amount of time. Or it is simply the beauty of creation that inspires me so much that I want to depict it. These are phases that alternate and that tell me that there is still a lot to do.
The two pictures on display are watercolors. I like to take my watercolor box with me on vacation. This is how I get all sorts of impressions and memories of vacation trips.
Art was my easiest and favorite subject at school. Everything that has something to do with creativity pleases me and moves me. After trying out a few things, I started painting in 2007 and haven't stopped since.
I prefer to work on canvas with acrylic paints. I find them practical and they offer many possibilities.
I am mostly drawn to clear, bright colors, but every now and then I consciously decide to step out of my comfort zone.
I want to touch people in a positive way, delight their souls and awaken a longing for the spirit that dwells in things.
Natasa Boskovski
The most important thing for me is to remain artistically free and open and to always leave my comfort zone and try new things. From realistic portraits to abstract paintings, everything is included. For example, I draw portraits using a grid or freehand. Sometimes I use templates, other times I draw from my imagination or I portray someone live.
Art is what enriches and beautifies life. It is the creative power of people and for me it is a limitless way of expressing myself. With the different painting styles I just do it in different ways, as if I were speaking different languages.
In my art I like to address emotions such as happiness, longing and vulnerability, with love playing the most important role. It can also be about relationships, snapshots or moods, which I also like to depict using abstract shapes, structures and, above all, colors.
The horse portraits "Strong" and "Kindly" represent two important character traits that everyone carries within themselves. They are different, a bit like two poles, but they do not necessarily exclude each other, but rather complement each other.
Maybe art came to me. For as long as I can remember, I have loved drawing and painting. It's a part of me and I just love it.
The most familiar material is the pencil. For precise and naturalistic work, I like to use graphite pencils. I love the fine nuances that you can achieve with them. For more depth and drama, I prefer to use charcoal, which I take from my fireplace. I use it dry, powdered or mixed with water. This way I can apply it with a brush or simply let it flow onto paper, which I also like to do with watercolor and acrylic. Letting the material flow allows you to go new ways and directs not only the color, but also the creative process in new directions. I find the liveliness and randomness of it liberating. It also reflects my view of the flow of life.
My color palette can be bright and colorful, in subtle cream tones or black and white. What I choose is simply determined by my mood.
I just want to express my love for life. I would be happy if my art touched someone and made them happy and released positive energy.
Olga Manilov
For me, painting is an area that demands dedication. Freed from rules, dogmas, morals, demands, pressure and expectations, I trust the materials, painting surfaces and processes. Theory, schools, trends, directions - nothing plays a role, only something inside wants to come out. I love the free surface of a canvas. A game of emotions, of feeling, of contradictions. The complexity of the surface is what attracts me most.
I am fascinated by the interplay of intention and coincidence.
My works reflect the love of nature and the processes of its change. At the same time, I connect all the elements: earth, air, water and fire. I allow them to begin the process of transience and then dissolve it again. Natural materials cannot be influenced - the originality of the material in each process is worked out or perceived through its uniqueness.
I have been a creative person since childhood, but I did not plan to become an artist and my profession is far from art. A few years ago I realized that I wanted to engage in painting in depth. I attended workshops and online courses of various artists and tried various techniques. I began to experiment with natural materials that are filled with the energy of nature and live their own lives. In one year I did what I missed over the years. But perhaps it was precisely these breaks in creativity that allowed me to understand what I wanted to say to the world with my paintings.
What are the main materials you work with? What role do the materials play in the finished artwork?
At the heart of my creations lies my love of experimenting with different materials. The interesting thing is that they are incompatible. This allows unusual textures to be created on the surface that are almost impossible to paint intentionally. I use natural materials such as marble powder, lime putty, sand, champagne chalk, shellac, natural pigments and many others. Each of them has its own character and lives by its own rules. The exciting thing is the unpredictability - everything is not as it seems and everything is possible.
What does your color palette look like and what criteria do you use to select it?
Using self-made paints from natural materials, I try to reduce the amount of color in times of visual overload. Guided by spontaneity and emotional perception.
What is the message behind your creative work? What impact do you think your art can have on the world?
I cannot say whether my works can be called art. For me, art only arises when the viewer goes on a journey across a tactile surface, discovers forms that awaken his or her personal emotions and is left speechless for a moment.
Rochelle Berman
My idea of good art is that it brings fresh understandings, allows the viewer to imagine unlimited possibilities, and is sincere, emotional and soulful.
Digital photography is the process or medium I use to create my artwork -a photograph is made not taken.. With camera in hand, I venture out to capture my subjects, carefully attending to proper exposure, lighting, color and composition.
As a Fine Art photographer, I love challenging experimentation into new avenues of visual expression. I combine collage and many other techniques into my work. I love the world of dreams and unlimited possibilities. My work is influenced by my dreams of a better world.
We live in a chaotic, fast moving society where hustle, disease and an overabundance of technology prevails. I invite my viewers to slow down, reflect, relax and be inspired. My inspiration comes from extensive world travel and extended periods in natural environments especially the ocean, beach and mountains. The magic and majesty of the natural world inspires me.
Also, in my latest series, "Dreamscape Portraits", I seek to express the strength, challenges and beauty of woman in a variety of transformed environments. The world that I see has a special synchronicity and an interconnectedness of ideas with the people and places that I photograph. I hope to evoke a magical dream like intensity using light, color, form and textures that will transcend the purely material representation.
I cannot remember a time when I wasn't into art. Always drawing and painting, then found photography in college. Always learning about art and visiting art galleries and museums growing up in NYC.
Formally, I used chemical darkroom techniques as a film photographer. Now I use the digital dark room of software technology, creating the multiple special effects of digital photo painting, photo collage and mixed media.
When I return to review my camera images on my IMac computer, a transformation may begin. I happily spend hours and days with my imagery until the final metamorphosis is complete.
I perform this digital alchemy in order to better align my images with the actual vision and emotion I feel at the time of capture - along with my current perceptions of the subject. Rich and brilliant colors, based on the variety of nature's beauty. I enhance my colors to represent my interpretation of the subject.
I utilize my personal technology tools of camera and computer to create a more humanized space for my viewers to decelerate. Even if just for a moment, to find a bit of tranquility and view a brighter side of life.
Having a somewhat mystical view of the world, I approach my subjects in order to see them in the best possible light, both in actuality and metaphorically speaking.
As an eternal optimist and romantic, I want to inspire my viewers to greater mindfulness and to experience the joys of living in our amazing universe.
Saskia Schulz
I see art as a way to create a new reality. Losing yourself in it is one of the most important things in my paintings. The empty canvas inspires me to bring my thoughts onto it and thus encourage new ways of thinking in the viewer. Food for thought that can help people develop in every way.
It is important to me to show people that they do not have to stay where they are now and that they should deal with their thoughts. Everyone has the potential to develop and to deal with issues, whether in their own head or in society. Opportunity brings change.
The two works of art are part of the "4 Elements" series. They represent the elements earth and water - that is, the solid and the liquid. The root forces are, in certain proportions, part of all being, all thinking and all action. Everyone should decide for themselves what the elements mean to them, which of the elements is the most important to them and identify with it.
I have been painting since I was a small child and could hold a paintbrush reasonably well. So the subject has run through my life over the years, sometimes more intensely, sometimes less so. This has allowed me to develop and consolidate my own style.
I usually only work with canvas, brushes and acrylic paint. The paintings are only stretched on frames later, so that I can always feel the surface under the canvas in the brushstrokes. The right brushes are important so that the authentic and unmistakable lips can be created. In the finished work of art, the highlights in pure white and pure black paint are the objects that give the viewer the depth to lose themselves in the work of art.
My color palette always consists of a maximum of 3 colors. Two of them are always black and white. Since color is not important to me and I believe that colors are always connected to feelings, I usually do without it completely and build my paintings only with black and white. The viewer should concentrate on the motif and engage with it.
The main message in my creative work is: everything starts in the mind and ends in the mind. Limits can be overcome, because they are only the limits in the mind. Sometimes you think too much about a point that may seem insurmountable, and yet it is not. The viewer learns the perspective in a new reality and a new world.
Teodora Dumitrache
The artist's vision should open the heart and mind. Thoughts paint dreams. Beyond the visible, everyone spells reality in their own way. The artist should have a positive influence on the world, build trust and promote a sense of beauty.
A white canvas is a virgin space that challenges me. Through what I create, I try to challenge the viewer, forcing them to leave their comfort zone and to think and question themselves both internally and externally. Because we are all connected mentally and emotionally by invisible bonds.
The creative process can be playful, especially when the idea takes shape. It is like a step in the search for magic, with creativity as a pledge. I search for ideas, create images, use colors and celebrate beauty in my opinion. I discreetly try to hint at grace, the moment of joy and emotion, like shaping an exciting story that includes all the nuances of our feelings.
Although black remains a defining color, I prefer strong colors, full of magic and sensuality. Lines, shadows, sometimes intrusive and delicate colors, other times hard and strange colors, always ready to leave a small fingerprint in the soul of the viewer. The fabrics and materials I use are paper, cotton, chalk dust, acrylic and pastel colors, all of which together serve beauty and become the signature of my soul. My art, an attempt at a small journey from soul to soul. It is the most precious thing in us, something we must take special care of.
Vanessa Vilchis Garciá
GDG: What is your artistic concept / idea of art? How do you start your creative process, how do you hit a blank canvas/paper etc.?
VVG: The art love is something that runs in the blood, something that you can feel and enjoy, tightly connected to madness and the continuous need to search for yourself and find yourself. I think that art has the power of healing and is a perfect way to express ourselves.
There are moments, there are people, there are little details of everyday life that inspire me to create something, always following the same line of reflection on life, time, and destiny. My whole artistic process starts with an idea that came from something that has motivated me, and according to what I want to represent, I look for the technique that best helps me to obtain the result I am looking for.
GDG: Why do you make this kind of art? Why is this topic appealing to you?
VVG: A radical shift in my work occurred after my mother's tragic passing in 2014. Beset by grief and existential doubts, I was overcome by an overall sense of injustice about the cruel arbitrariness of life's fragility. In an attempt to make sense of this new reality, I became exploring the inevitable transformations and evolution of the human body over time. I challenge the traditional canons of beauty, by painfully documenting signs of physical decay and revealing the grace and wisdom of those who are nearing the end.
GDG: What does your artwork represent?
VVG: My art reflects on the meaning of the ephemeral, the quality of time, the need for the body to deteriorate, and the inevitable loss we must face as human beings. My personal story is closely related to my paintings. They have a common denominator, the uninterrupted subject of life and death, its physical and psychological process, strongly joined with what we usually call "destiny".
I usually represent moments and people that have a high impact on me, a perfect example would be the following two artworks that I will be presented in the exhibition of “Silent Dialogues” at Grace Denker Gallery.
“Art in Times of Crisis” (painting above) I finished this oil painting in December 2021
This man-made me reflects on the moment I was living and that we all are living with this pandemic crisis.
I was traveling with my dad in Taxco, a small town in Mexico. This character was sitting with his hand outstretched asking for a bit of money, food, empathy, or maybe love. But everyone seemed oblivious to what was going on around them, they seemed so focused on satisfying their own needs without taking care of others' needs.
Once again that moment made me reflect on life and time. This man symbolizes humanity in decadence, affected by crisis and growing self-centeredness. A humanity that has a lack of love, empathy, and sincerity. A humanity that reaches out for help, convinced that there will be someone who will give it. The help of a hand to take a breath, smile, and move on.
We are all in the same situation of becoming old and vulnerable, just as we are all in the same time of pandemic crisis. The reflection of being empathetic with others and knowing that we all need to help and be helped somehow.
“Love in Times of Crisis”
Although the protagonists and techniques of these two artworks are very different, there is something that unites them, the theme of crisis interpreted in different ways.
This drawing, made with pencil colors and graphite, and finished in March 2022, is an allegory of what symbolically means to use a mouthguard. In this crisis that we have been living since 2019, we always relate this element with distance, care, empathy, love, and respect for others. Since using it is a way of being able to protect yourself and others from contracting a contagion.
However, also two naked bodies making love, without any distance but covered with a facemask show an intimate and passionate scene. A personal story comes close when I had to take distance for 7 months with my husband. The fact of being in different countries in such a difficult time was one of the toughest situations we have ever been in.
This drawing reflects when we finally got back together without giving up, and caring for each other. Little by little, we began to fill ourselves again with life and color by the simple fact of being together again.
This scene represents all those couples who had to find love and refuge in these times of crisis. Being so close and yet so far away from that special person because distance is relative when love and care are real.
Because there is always this need for empathy since you don't know what situations the other person had to face. Because everything is always interpreted in a personal way, but when there is empathy you can see beyond your constant egocentrism and think about the other person.
GDG: How did you get into art?
VVG: From a very young age I started to try different art techniques, at the age of 5 I had this teacher, who demanded too much from me in the first class, she even told me that I wasn't good at drawing. After that experience, I decided that it was not a good idea to continue on that path.
In high school, I had a few art workshops and it was much easier to get inspiration from a teacher who had no creative limits or prejudices as a barrier. Later, at the age of 13, I searched for some oil painting classes outside my school. I became a real fan of this technique and I remember helping many friends with their creative works.
In high school, I enrolled in art history classes and fell more and more in love with art. When it came the time to decide what my career path would be, there was no doubt that I wanted to dedicate my entire life to creating and admiring arts.
Now, although I am Mexican, I live and work in Germany. I received my BFA from Botticelli Institute in Mexico, later I specialized in Modern and Contemporary Art at Casa Lamm Cultural Center and last year in 2021 I achieved a Master's degree in "Art and cultural management" at Rome Business School .
I also dedicate myself to performing arts, I love circus and I have been practicing aerial silks for 7 years now. This sport has helped me to understand my body and its capacity. It has helped me to understand the human body in movement and to admire its power and fragility. Since it is a high-risk sport, I found a connection with my paintings. Being suspended in the air depending on each person's skills and strength is always a risk, so this makes me think about this thin line that exists between life and death as well as I try to capture in my paintings.
GDG: What are your main materials that you work with? What role do the materials play in the finished work of art?
VVG: I consider myself a traditional artist, but I am also interested in my contemporary time, which has led me to master several techniques in my work. Some examples of techniques I manage are: Oil, Acrylic, watercolor, charcoal, pencil colors, pastels, gouache, tempera, mixed media, and digital art. Handling various materials allows me to decide the best artistic process for my work.
I decide on a specific technique according to the final work that I imagine at first sight. Despite the result often changes in the process. I think about how I would like it to look and what material would allow me to give it the finish I want.
Every time, I start a new painting, it's as if the work can talk to me. The painting guides me, and often I don't know if it's the right way but I'm not afraid to try. In the end, that's an incredible part of art, the freedom of expression, and being soul cured somehow in the process.
GDG: What does your color palette look like and what criteria do you use to select it?
VVG: My color palette tends to be very varied, although I have few works with light colors. In general, I like dark colors such as brown, blue or black.
I consider myself a real fan of the Baroque chiaroscuro, so I like to experiment a lot with contrasts and this is something that old human skin allows me to do a lot. I live admiring what many would consider "flaws or defects" such as wrinkles, folds, and moles. I consider wrinkles to be a perfect testimony to how time passes on our skin. As we age, new colors and spots appear on the skin, there are always discoveries on that, and that keeps me motivated.
GDG: What is the message behind your creative work? What impact do you think your art can have on the world?
VVG: I like to make people reflect on time, on life, and on how we perceive death.
My hope is for the viewer to pause and appreciate life as is happening now. Although I believe our soul is immortal, our physical existence is transient. We must learn to value those we love, surrendering to the infinity of the present moment. My mother's death changed my way of thinking and acting; it taught me to see life and death differently.
Nowadays we live in such a fast and technological world, glued and dependent on mobile phones or electronic devices, often ignoring the people we have in front of us. Now more than ever the theme of life, of valuing those little moments with people, seems even more important to me because once that person is no longer there, you will regret having preferred to focus your attention behind a screen instead of seeing that person.
Duration of the exhibition: April 22, 2022 to June 15, 2022
Location: GRACE DENKER GALLERY, Hammerbrookstraße 93, 20097 Hamburg.
Opening: April 22, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.
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