Artist in conversation: María Sánchez

“Reborn Series” by María Sánchez is a solo show available until the 2nd of October as part of the ongoing virtual solo shows we are presenting to a global audience.

If you have not visited the show yet, please do by clicking here.

María Sánchez is a Venezuelan visual artist, designer and journalist. She began her artistic career at the age of four with painting lessons taught by Diego Rivera's former student, Jorge Arteaga. Over the years, she continued her artistic path through self-taught education and with the classical painting artist Vladimir Tasoff. In 2015, she completed her BA in Journalism and Media Studies in her native country. Since then, Sánchez's artworks have been exhibited in spaces and galleries both nationally and internationally, including individual and group exhibitions of the different series of paintings, digital art and photography.

Her work explores subjects as diverse as psychology and A.I, each project often consists of multiple works, in a range of different media, grouped around specific themes and meanings.

Follow Maria here.

- Tell us a little about yourself and your practice.

My work for the past five years has used aspects of neuroscience, psychology and conscious work of the self. I have always focused on painting people because I consider that humans have fascinating behaviors and many times it is interesting to observe how something as valuable as thinking does not match what we feel. The dual nature and emotional illiteracy of human beings has led me to explore the thousands of worlds that exist in each of us.

I use a variety of materials and processes in each project. The subject matter of each body of work determines the materials and the forms of the artwork. Throughout the years I have worked with different techniques such as mixed media, charcoal, acrylics, photographic interventions and digital art.

- Where did you learn your art? Have you been formally trained?

I never enrolled in an art school or institute. From a very young age I began painting and drawing lessons with the Venezuelan artist and muralist Jorge Arteaga. Then I studied human anatomy in depth with the Russian artist Vladimir Tasoff. My current digital technique is based on self-taught learning.

- Have you been working on anything new recently?

Yes, my current project "Everything and nothing" is a digital painting series c of 15 artworks of unfolded heads, intense expressions and amorphous shapes that invite the viewer to question what is truly real or not.

- What are your thoughts in regards to the virtual exhibitions? Are they here to stay?

I think the future is virtual and the pandemic made it clear last year. Virtual exhibitions are seen as an increasingly viable alternative for physical events and the way museums and galleries are adapting to these experiences is quite amazing. I think it is another powerful way to build engagement with audiences everywhere.

- What are you hoping to communicate with your solo virtual show available now on the Holy Art online gallery?

I hope viewers understand that change is the only constant in our existence. Although the series shows children, adults and elderly people, these works are more an internal reflection rather than the literal portrait. I have seen many adults in the bodies of 10 year olds and many children in their 50s or older.

Reborn reflects all the processes that a person goes through in life and that death is not only physical.

- What was the best advice given to you as an artist?

I had a teacher that told me "hold tight to your vision but don't be rigid. Art comes from a source bigger than you, and you need to be a channel for it".