I am a visual storyteller.
When I was a little girl, I liked to imagine stories and share them with my friends and brother. I used to be dramatic because it had a big impact on my audience and I enjoyed their reactions. It was fun to do, and interesting to see how they engaged. My brother was the only one who knew they were not real, but sometimes even he doubted it.
Now I am still telling stories, but most of the time I do it through my canvas. The stories sometimes are my own, and sometimes are the stories of others. They are inspired by what is happening in the world with all its beauty and horror, by humanitarian crises, political and social issues, experiences I have been exposed to, and everything that surrounds me. All that - and beyond - is reflected in my art.
The act of creating makes me feel alive, grounded, and connected to my most inner self. It is an emotional process that lets me observe life from a different point of view, understand the child I was, and embrace the woman I am now. It helps me to be conscious of my past and my present. It is a healing exercise, and through it I can celebrate all those things that give me happiness and reconcile with all those that hurt.
My art is an escape.
Each time I start a new piece I permit myself to express what I see, I feel, I want, and what I believe. I also talk about my desires of changing what I would like to change without asking for permission, exercising a feeling of freedom regardless of what is happening outside my studio. I do not allow anybody to dictate what I want to say. If there is a limit, it is because I impose it intentionally.
I use my practice as a tool to keep my memories alive.
It is like having a time machine. From the moment I touch my canvas, I start a new journey. Sometimes I visit my immediate surroundings, other times I go back to the Argentina of my youth, others to all the countries where I lived later in my adulthood. I revisit those places with new eyes and a more mature perspective. I compare my past with my present. I remember stories that were forgotten, reconnecting with episodes that were deeply hidden in my heart.
And I want to talk about the presence - and the power - of art made by women who can tell different stories than their male counterparts, or the same stories but from other points of view. I also want to show that age is not an impediment to living our lives as fully as we deserve: with age comes experience and exposure, and that gives us the chance to tell even more stories than before. I want to rethink how we see ourselves in the current world and keep growing no matter what the society and stereotypes dictate.
I choose abstract -or abstract choose me- because I can focus more on the story than on the painting itself. While creating, I transfer the calmness and the torment, the joy and the despair I feel during the process, giving the people that observe my pieces the opportunity to find their own interpretation.
To me the act of creating is associated with the search for answers, the possibility of understanding, and the chance of leaving a mark.
IG: @silviafelizia