ARTWORK DESCRIPTION
“Figura y Lámpara”:
For several years now my work has delved into the representation of dreamlike and metaphysical landscapes to approach the subconscious and the contemporary psychological climate, incorporating in it also as an important part the female human body; ”Figura y Lámpara” is part of this series in which the female image is the protagonist.
In the exploration of the collective subconscious in the current psychic landscape, for my work the presence of the human figure showing its inner being has been important. In the creative process, found images are in direct dialogue with images of the subconscious, these are combined to be provided with new contexts, shaping a contemporary representational time that probes the parallel between reality and dream.
The work ”Figura y Lámpara” captures on the canvas a scene of intimacy and tension typical of the private and introspective world of the characters usually represented in my works, as well as transmitting a charge of intensity, emotion and stillness in the middle of an environment in which the air seems static.
In a body of work with an interest in the creation of spaces that entail a meditative trance, the present work contains a performative purpose in its meticulousness, where the painting has a charm and foundation that are of ritual characteristics; A medium that mutates thanks to the dialogue of the physical act and the technique, active and essential components for the generation of the work. An analogy is thus produced between the act, which makes it possible to represent an image and the image represented.
BIOGRAPHY
María-Gracia Basso H. (born January 20, 1997) is an artist and architect based in Viña del Mar, Chile. She has participated in around forty exhibitions in galleries, museums and cultural centers in Chile and in three international fairs. Her work has obtained positive reviews from cultural experts in written and social media, as well as outstanding national and international recognitions and awards in ten occasions. She has made three individual exhibitions of painting and drawing in Valparaíso, Concepción, Puerto Montt and in October she will present her fourth one in Viña del Mar. Parallel to her artistic career, she studied Architecture at the E[ad] School of the Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, doing her last semester, prior to her degree thesis, at the Università IUAV di Venezia, which allowed her, in Europe, to be in contact with the original classics of art history and art milestones such as the Venice Biennale. Today she successfully combines art with her profession as an Architect in the execution of projects for public spaces.
Among other recognitions, she has twice won painting prizes in a national art contest organized by the Universidad de Valparaíso, one of them the Honor Award (2017); she also won an award in a national art contest organized by Artespacio Gallery (2021), one of the most important galleries in Santiago, Chile. She has twice received national awards granted by the Ministry of Public Works of Chile, for her design of public art projects, for the Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport in Santiago (2021) and for the Gabriela Mistral House Museum in the city of La Serena (2022). She has also successfully represented Chile in the International Fairs Spectrum Miami, Latin American Galleries Now and Art Santiago and her work was selected and published by the social media of the San Francisco MoMA. To this is added a national drawing prize for the celebration of the Bicentennial of Chile and the first prize for painting on the occasion of the Copa América 2015.
Web page: www.mariagraciabasso.cl
Instagram: @mariagraciabasso