Lockdown has changed how we approach the external world and the concept of home. Feelings of confinement and fear run in our blood system with the anxiety of becoming teachers, housekeepers and office workers at the same time. We are allowed only to see and hear, but not to smell or taste the outside world. We are influenced by our subjective imaginations, interpretations and projections, which we use to fill out the gaps of the unknown. In Nature, we seek refuge and freedom and the function of the garden without the household becomes vital to be able to confront hardships. It’s in there, on the leaves falling from the tree where I found the inspiration to create textural prints that convey a sense of being chaotically trapped and scared about this global pandemic. Trapped is a reflection of different emotions trying to understand the times we are living.; a choky shout trying to reach the family I wish to hold in my arms with the fear I won’t be able to do it anymore.
Silvia’s main concerns within her art practice are underpinned by her cultural background, with an interest in how we consider our cultural and personal identities and memories. She looks to nature and poetry to explore these ideas within her practice, often using photographic imagery and found elements from her surroundings as metaphor for events of the past.
She has a background of farming within her family so she feels a strong connection with the Spanish landscape. Botany is the link to bring her work together with the place where she came from and to represent struggle as the essence of life. As herman de vries said about our relationship with the land “without our relationship with Nature, our life and culture are lost, and how these two components in our lives influence one another”, in a way to recognise who we are. Letting the place to inspire you and remember past life experiences, sometimes through a colour or a smell, allows us to reflect and understand better the world.
Most of Silvia’s work are influenced by childhood memories, family traditions, values and beliefs. Lockdown changed how we approach the external world and the concept of home, and reminded us to pay attention around us to connect with life without fear.
Being always fascinated by how textures and shapes in everyday objects can tell past stories, she uses windows and doors as a metaphor for change and freedom but mainly to invite the viewer to interpret their own view of reality.
Dwell Time 