Photos via the National Gallery.
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Published on
Monday, November 4, 2024
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Costa Rican artist, Ileana
Piszk-Kalina is announcing the
inauguration of her exhibition
"Andrómeda," which will take place at the National Gallery located in the
Children’s Museum facilities in San
José. "You are invited
on a journey, a voyage deep into
yourself, a search into the most hidden
inner realms to find answers of the soul; where emotions
and thoughts materialize in various
strokes and colors with a single goal:
to find and achieve the desired balance
and vital harmony, bringing one closer
to the meaning of one’s existence," said
the artists in her open invitation to
the public. Piszk invites
locals, residents and visitors to
experience her exhibition which is the result of
a long and complex process, unfolded in
stages, starting from her well-known and
beloved figurative landscapes, which
later evolved into dreamlike or magical
creations born from her imagination,
until reaching this new series, which
features abstract landscapes with a more
transcendental undertone. "In 2016, during
the Canto Primordidal, I attempted my
first abstraction of landscapes. Since
then, my work has fluctuated between
figurative and dreamlike landscapes, to mature my
technique and consolidate a personal
vision," the artist explains. "Throughout this
creative journey, I approach the canvas
in a ritualistic
and performative way. For me, it is
crucial that the paintings I produce
surprise me. If that doesn't happen, the
piece is discarded," she added. The exhibition's
curator is renowned artist Rolando Faba,
with extensive
national and international experience. "It is framed
within the Costa Rican pictorial
tradition that, during the 20th century,
privileged the landscape as a way to
express symbolic values of national
identity," said Faba regarding this
collection. "In Piszk's case, the
landscape is approached as an event that
occurs on the canvas, rather than as
the representation of a specific place.
In this experimental endeavor, the
landscape appears as atmospheres or
remnants of humanity," he noted. Reina Jiménez, a
physics graduate and certified
biomagnetic therapist, Piszk’s work
"It’s about tapping into the core of the
'inner planet' and fueling its rotation
to shape the magnetic field we wish to
project beyond our physical boundaries." "The field that
creates the eternal presence of our
manifestation and leaves a lasting
mark," she stated after witnessing
Piszk’s art. "The external experience
transformed into the fuel of the
emotional vehicle," she added.
The
name Andrómeda, was
chosen by the artist due to her emotions
at her studio and her " inner world" are
small galaxies, "explosive and filled with
color."
"I
live the act of painting as a spontaneous
and ritualistic practice, where I approach
the canvas to pour over it pictorial
matter that flows in unexpected ways and
begins to speak for itself," she explains.
"After that initial moment, it is my turn
to step back, observe, analyze, and
complete the work. In this process, both a
passionate and a reflective dimension
converge."
The
15 pieces were
created
using mixed techniques. These
include pouring (liquid paint poured
onto the canvas), sgraffito (painting with
a palette knife), the
use of
everyday materials such as plastic or
sponges, and even bodily gestures to
produce the desired textures.
"I'm not interested in standardizing the
palette or resources. On the contrary, I
seek diverse experimentation in terms of
techniques to grow as an artist in an
ongoing process," the artist said. "For
that reason, there are no formulas in
Andrómeda, only explorations."
As
for the impact on the public, according to
Piszk, her interest lies in spontaneity
and abstraction. "I want people who visit
Andrómeda to be able to appreciate my
works multiple times and, on each
occasion, evoke different emotions. I
would love for the works to mutate, both
over time and in the audience's
consciousness," she added.
Andrómeda is open to the public on Thursday, Nov. 7, at 7:00 p.m. at Sala 11 of the National Gallery of Costa Rica.
The event will feature guided tours, which will be announced on the National Gallery's Facebook page and the artist's social media such as Facebook and Instagram.
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