Sobre mi

En un momento dado me empezaron a interesar mucho las expresiones y el movimiento de las personas. De una manera intuitiva, me llega la información que esto contiene con mucha fuerza, como un golpe.

Por otro lado, siento por otras formas de vida un gran interés. Poseen figuras anatómicas muy sugerentes y lo que simbólicamente representan para mí, es tan fuerte…

Los niños son el futuro. Hay que cuidarlo. También son esa parte de nosotros que aún pervive, pues todos hemos sido niños, y en parte, aún lo somos un poco.

Aunando los niños con los animales me embargan sentimientos contradictorios muchas veces, una gran ternura e inquietud por su futuro, aunque siempre, en lo más hondo, me evocan el olor del bosque húmedo, el sonido de la brisa en las ramas de los árboles y el sol en la piel.

El inicio de este camino estuvo en una depresión y una terapia gestald,  en las que El Todo –los sentimientos,  sentidos desde las vísceras,  bien dentro de nosotros mismos,  el vivir El Aquí y El Ahora, El Darse Cuenta – de qué nos pasa, de qué les pasa a otros, qué somos y por qué- empiezan a cobrar mucho sentido. Fue entonces cuando empecé  a estudiarme, a analizarme, y por supuesto, a estudiar a las demás personas. Y me empiezan a interesar mucho las expresiones, los rostros y las posturas de la gente, cómo se mueven.  Sin mucho análisis cerebral, más de una manera intuitiva, me va llegando una información con mucha fuerza. De ahí a pasar al retrato y a la figura, fue un paso. Y aquello era lo que me pedía el cuerpo, claramente. En el año 2004 realizo la exposición Los Rostros y las Voces, colaborando con la Fundación Vicente Ferrer. Me interesan sobre todo los niños, todos los niños, y la infancia de zonas pobres, deprimidas, en conflicto,  me conmueven.  Ellos no pidieron venir a este mundo, y sin embargo, son sus víctimas.

Desde el 2004 hasta el 2008 se centró mi trabajo en el dibujo sobre todo, aunque no abandoné la pintura. Este dibujo, estas pinturas, empezaron a pedir algo más. Y es a partir del 2008 cuando en mis obras empiezo a meter papeles, plumas, telas, y a contar algo más, juntando elementos abstractos que parten la superficie, que juegan con la composición. También entran los animales en la obra. Siento por otras formas de vida un gran interés.  Con los animales me identifico. Y a mi niño interior lo llevo dentro, gritando a veces, cuando no le hago caso. Juntando niños y animales puedo expresar  sentimientos ya sean de ternura, o de miedo, alegría, serenidad, e incluso sentimientos contrapuestos, ambiguos, como la vida misma. Y puedo contar historias de siempre y siempre actuales.

My journey in artistic expression...

At an unexpected moment of my life, I became fascinated by human expression and movement. It suddenly occurred to me, almost intuitively, that within in each of us there is a soul that I perceive via expression and movement.

My journey finds its roots in my history of personal depression and the subsequent treatment with Gestalt therapy. This process not only cured me, but it taught me that consciousness of the totality of things, the big picture, is of utmost importance. I learned to appreciate the here and now and to  immerse myself in the terrible beauty of the human experience. In studying others, I learned how to better know myself. As such, I became wholly invested and fascinated in how we as humans express ourselves—the minutiae of facial expression, posture, movement, and especially how we occupy and use space. Pursuing this fascination I found that I reached new levels of personal understanding via trusting my human instinct and intuition and letting objective psychological analysis assume a secondary role. Moving from this to portraits was but a mere step forward.

Along with my passion for human beings, I hold a grand love for other manifestations of life. I am endlessly fascinated and intrigued by their anatomical forms and the profound symbolic significance that I derive from them. I have a passion for the natural world and thus fight, however I can, for its conservation. I am an ornithology aficionado and bird watching brings me much joy. Even more than my love for birds, I have a deep appreciation and desire to learn as much as I can about nature, our planet, and her peoples.

In the endeavour to reach the essence of this passion of mine, I turn to children. I believe wholeheartedly that they are indeed our future and I fervently intend to take care of this future. We are made immortal and perpetual in the values imparted in our children. We have all been children and I believe that we all still are, somewhere in our souls. As such, I have unending affection for children. Bringing together children and animals in my works often creates a flood of emotions, often contradictory. I leave them this legacy of emotion, charged with great tenderness and healthy concern.

Another point of focus for me lies in recycling. There is something so necessarily cathartic and necessary about giving a second life to that which is regarded as used up and to be disposed of. The way I see it, recycling is the catalyst for change in which we endeavour to transform and use the elemental resources our planet has blessed us with to their maximum potential.

For me, balance and tranquillity in my works is found in the dulcet bouquet of a humid forest, the song of the breeze dancing between the branches, and the sun on my skin. 

Between 2004 and 2008, I focused on my work on drawing above all, without having abandoned painting. My main points of inspiration were and still are, the world’s children, especially those living impoverished, endlessly besieged by conflict. Their plight touches me deeply to the bottom of soul. Despite having no choice in their fate, they continue to suffer and be victims of circumstances outside of their control.

Suddenly, these drawings and paintings began to cry out for something more. As such, in 2008 I began using paper, feathers, fabric, and in order to express something more, synthesising abstract elements that broke through the surface and played with the composition. Along with these new elements, animals of all shapes and sizes started the find themselves among my works. I have always had an indescribably deep connection with animals. They connect with my inner child, communicating in ways that go behind mere words and sounds.

The bringing together of children and animals allows me to express sentiments and emotions. I can dip my brush into the profundity of sadness, the beatific realm of affection, the stark cold of fear, the encapsulating light of joy, and the perfectly still waters of tranquillity that reach far beyond the horizon. This synthesis of my inspirations acts as the perfect catalyst for profound, far-reaching emotional expression. And such as life is, these emotions are often juxtaposed, ethereal, and ambiguous.

I would like those that look at my works to filter their observations through the sieve of their own life experiences and feel their own, authentic emotions. These sensations are probably, and I hope that they are, quite distinct from my own. But above all, I want my art to penetrate the psyche, that it inspires a distinct lesson learned, and that it lights the blaze of curiosity and introspection.

Nuria Vernacci