Artist: Silvina Mamani

Initially, I drew the figure as part of my training as a sculptor. My art teachers in Argentina taught me to master figurative drawing as a means to exercise my skills and put my ideas on paper.

Eventually, I started to paint the figure, alone or interacting with others, using color and line to create movement and characters in a narrative. As an avid competitive athlete, I constantly observe how people handle their bodies, while engaged in various activities. The human form, with its curves, muscles and limbs, in repose or in action, presents infinite possibilities.

This current body of paintings, looser and more abstract than earlier work, reflects my desire to free myself from my past as a sculptor. My chosen medium is acrylic paint because I can make fast changes as I progress. I paint on wallpaper because I found a huge stack of it in the late nineties and recycling is very important to me.

I begin a piece with a sketch and know when a work is finished when I feel a sort of identification, satisfaction and happiness.