Cartagena

In recent years I have focused (as I did with the HAENYEO series, the Korean divers) in telling human stories that for some reason have caught my attention.

My work explores the fragility of the human condition through social and psychological contexts. I try to express my perception of human realities in different parts of the world that attract my attention because of their particularities, realities that are new and surprising to me.

Currently, my work focuses on the social reality of the Afro-Colombian community in northern Colombia, mainly in Cartagena and the surrounding marshes. On the one hand, the confrontation of human heritage under the impact of tourism and the repercussions on cultural heritage. On the other hand, mass unemployment and future prospects for the younger population.

I express all this through painting. In my paintings I use images of reality based on sketches and photographies. The human figure, the protagonist, does not appear deformed because it seems relevant to me to keep as real as possible. I intend to tell real stories, of real people. My paintings are between figuration and expressionism.

The pictorial process begins on a background of stains and layers of acrylic that are overlapping, appearing and disappearing until leaving a fabric that gives way to the figure, the landscape, the architecture, the still life and even the portrait. The accidents that occur in my paintings have an important place in the creation process. I try not to forget any of the disciplines of classical painting. My palette is elaborate and colorful, mixing with a huge variety of grays, to which I give much importance.

In the works on paper, I explore the possibilities of mixed media, using together acrylic, pastel, watercolor, markers and charcoal.

My challenge is to raise any subject, however trivial, to interesting pictorial qualities and a very personal style. Folk themes are often considered as «second class» topics. My intention is to demonstrate that any subject can be treated, however banal it may be.