Artist Statement
Growing up I developed a great appreciation for the landscape of the Peruvian coast. One of the most vivid memories of my childhood is the day my mother showed me for the first time the pacific ocean, which many years later would become a very important place for me. This landscape, with its vast sand dunes, stretching from one end Lima to the other, has always been a great inspiration for my art and still is the most recurrent subject of my work.
My current art practice is based on the exploration of memories and the passage of time through the manipulation or transformation of images. I want to explore new narratives and reflect on their new and transformed meaning . Through painting, I depict "new realities" that arise from the alteration of memories and photographs that I have collected over the years. The imagery I work with represent moments, people, and places that no longer exist, and therefore charged with a great variety of feelings. Nostalgia, loss, loneliness, or on the contrary, joy, happiness, find their way to the paintings in shapes and colors. The desire to return to some of these moments through painting and to explore my emotional connection with them is what fuels my artistic practice. Before I paint, I like to observe photographs, reflect on them, and think about the way they make me feel. Then, I try to translate the emotions and feelings that come to mind into colors and the way I apply the paint on the paper. With this work, I want to explore the different ways in which I can represent or interpret a memory, and how these interpretations can spark different responses in the viewer and connections to their own personal experiences.
Recently, I have gained a great interest in abstraction thanks to artists like Etel Adnan, Janaina Tschape, and Shara Hughes, artists who work with the landscape but in completely different ways. Adnan works from memory, Tschape from her emotional connection to the landscape , and Hughes from her imagination. These artists have inspired me to continue exploring all the possibilities that the landscape painting offers. With this new influences, my work is leaning more towards abstraction as I continue to explore new ways of representing not only a physical place but also a place of memories.
May, 2023
“This is the lesson of painting. We are here to perceive, and it is exhilarating, for when perception does happen it is a manifestation and perfect fulfillment.”
“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way - things I had no words for.”
“To be an artist is to believe in life.”
Behind The Scenes
It’s rare to have the opportunity to get to see hat goes into the process of making a painting. Art making for me is a solitary process, I work best when I’m alone and feel surrounded by a quiet space, where I can think and translate my ideas and feelings into shapes and colors. For this reason, not a lot of people get to see in person what goes on at the studio, but I enjoy documenting parts of my process through photography. I share most of these images on my Instagram account. You can find me as @carolina.vilcapoma. Follow me and enjoy more behind the scenes moments in my creative process.
Available Work
If you’re interested in any of these artworks, or any other work on my website, I invite you to take a look at my “shop” page. Also, feel free to email me with any questions, commission ideas, or if you just want to know more about my work. I’m more than happy to hear from you!