Ok, this is huuuuge. Did I just start a new artistic movement? Maybe. I’ve been trying for a while to put my art into a box. When people ask me what I paint, I often struggle to define it in a way that feels familiar to them.
After many headaches trying to fit my work into someone else’s artistic definitions, I decided to give a label to my own style. And so it is: my art can be described as “female symbolic surrealism.”
I am going chop this into parts so you can grasp it better:
Female. I guess this is pretty obvious. I create artwork from a female perspective, based on my experience as a woman. On top of that, all the topics that I tackle in a conscious/subconscious way are related to womanhood. From hidden desires to pain, from basic needs to more complex narratives.
Symbolic. The repetition of symbols is something that characterises my artwork. There are many different ones: apples, snakes, plants, women, birds, water, cats, eyes… It is about the meaning that they take and represent in the composition. Sometimes the message of the painting is not obvious per se yet through the analysis of the diverse elements you can make your own interpretation of it. It is well known that snakes represent for example temptation, the third eye might be the connection to a higher consciousness, etc etc.
Surrealism. This is the key element in my artwork. It is not about creating a balanced and beautiful outcome, it is about releasing what it is in the subconscious mind and allow it to take shape in the most unexpected ways. This is the reason why my paintings are layered and raw. It is because of the need of expressing something that is hidden and wants my allowance to come out.
If you would challenged me to summarise what I do in one sentence:
I translate and reveal the inner world of womanhood with a layered surreal language of hidden symbolism.
(Silence)
I know, I know.
it sounds like a word game typical from the art industry. Yes I feel you, but it is the hardest job to shorten such a heavyweight definition with all the emotional meaning it has for me.
What do you think? Can you feel what I’m trying to convey?
I’m currently working on a new series of artwork, which will be unveiled on November 21st at my Open Studios event, hosted in collaboration with PRAZZLE ARTS in Hamburg. If you’re curious and would like an invitation, sign up for my newsletter at the bottom of my website. Can’t wait to celebrate with you!
www.sabela.art