Artist Statement

 

In my experiments, I'm captivated by the profound interplay of the ephemeral, and the juxtaposition of contrasting imagery and materials. I seek to create a visual, emotional, and ironic landscape where the boundaries between protection and vulnerability blur and merge. Through my work, I invite viewers to reflect on their own experiences of growth and change to embrace the beauty of impermanence in all its facets.

 

My choice of materials and medium reflects the core of my message. I am drawn to perishable matter and organic textures; inherently delicate and brief, mirror our transience and the constant state of flux. They might convey reminiscent vibration of childlike tactile pleasures. In their forms, I often explore the concept of "skin": like parchment, bears the imprints of our stories and scars, our interface with the world, a membrane that absorbs the experiences and shapes our identities. 

 

Objects take on a sacred role in my work, embodying the memories and emotions of our cycles of transformation and self-knowledge. They become relics of the past, holding the anecdotes of time. Performance, sounds, videos, and photography are stages where I manifest immersive narratives, and digital experiments amplify their resonance. I manipulate objects and images, often shaping them into experiences that mirror the ironic affectionate cycle of creation-decay.

 

Childhood, that ephemeral sanctuary of innocence and wonder, is often my muse, while animals are my silent collaborators and messengers. It is a time when everything is touched with magic, where the world unfolds in vivid hues of imagination: the reflection of a graceful balance of life. Yet, as we journey into adulthood - maternity- the colors often fade, replaced by the shades of responsibility and the weight of experience. I believe my work is a reaction and a necessity to capture this transition, this metamorphosis of the soul, and to evoke a sense of nostalgia, sometimes pain, for the fleeting days of cocoon; protection.

 

As we cast our eyes toward the future, we encounter a world clouded by anxiety, resistance, and fear, shaped by rapid change and digital innovation. I reflect on the transitions ahead for us all, individually and collectively. Through my work, I invite viewers to embrace the remaining playful spirit within them, finding strength in the inexhaustible wellspring of resilience deep within us. I hope we can navigate the complexities of adulthood with the same sense of wonder and curiosity that defines childhood.

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Bio

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Brazil, 1983. Based in USA.

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With a background in Garment Production Technology and Advertising Communication, Paula Blower has honed her art work through diverse educational experiences. She broadened her creative panorama in London, where she studied the Expanded Field of Drawing at The Slade School of Fine Arts, and Sculpture at Central Saint Martins. Her artistic journey also led her to Rio de Janeiro, where she dedicated herself to the School of Visual Arts of Parque Lage from 2014 to 2017.

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Paula's work delves into ephemeral, blending contrasting imagery and materials to craft emotionally charged landscapes, employing perishable matter and organic textures. Her experiments play with the delicate balance between object and substance, pushing the boundaries of impermanence through unconventional languages, techniques, and mediums.

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Bodies. Skins. Costumes. Techniques (or volcanos). Paula does not hesitate in putting us in front of the grotesque to feel the poetry: body-poetry. The one that passes, transpasses us. The memories here become timeless. I remember the time in its fragile linear movement, the whole time. What skin do we wear? Of which memories do we appropriate? Would you risk it? 

 

Bruna Freitas

 

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Exhibitions

 

Solo

•  Cargas e Descargas - Ponder 70 , São Paulo, 2018.

• Go ask my mother - El Cuarto de Invitados,  Madrid, 2017.

• The Roosevelt's Picnic - 4bid Gallery, Amsterdam, 2017.

 

Group

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• Juegos artificiales. Arte juguetón, jugable y juguete. Centro Cultural Isabel de Farnesio (Aranjuez) -Centro Sociocultural Federico García Lorca (Humanes) - Centro Sociocultural (El Álamo) - Centro Cultural (Pedrezuela) - Casa de la Cultura (Ciempozuelos) - Palacio Juan de Goyeneche (Nuevo Baztán)  - Sala Lorenzo Vaquero. Antigua Fábrica de Harinas (Getafe) - Centro socio-cultural Arango (Loeches) - Centro Cultural Villa de Móstoles (Móstoles) - Casa de la Cultura (San Lorenzo de El Escorial) - Centro Cultural Juan Prado (Valdemoro) - Madrid, 2019.

• Mostra Galerianos REBENTO, Espaço MárciaXClayton, Rio de Janeiro, 2017.

• Coletiva Eixo 2017, Rio de Janeiro.

• Porcos não olham pro céu, Mostra Galerianos, Parque Lage, Rio de Janeiro, 2016.

• Tudo tem dois, Ações Performativas: Encarnando Justiças Dissidentes, Península Gallery, Porto Alegre, 2016.

• A resposta está no verso, #2 SARA- há, Espaço Saracura, Curadoria Nadam Guerra, Rio de Janeiro, 2016.

• Carta ao meu marido (video), Festival Instantâneo de Performance Urgente, Tocantins, 2015.

• Falsa Experiência Castelinho (video), Castelinho do Flamengo, Centro Cultural Oduvaldo Viana Filho, Rio de Janeiro, 2016.

• Carta ao meu marido, Castelinho do Flamengo, Centro Cultural Oduvaldo Viana Filho, Rio de Janeiro, 2016.

• Desculpe o Transtorno, Parque Lage, Rio de Janeiro, 2016.

• O Antidesfile, Parque Lage, Rio de Janeiro, 2015.

• Reflexión or I wanna be Kim Kardashian, La Ira de Dios, Buenos Aires, 2015.

• The God Damn Huge Skin Bag, Slade School of Fine Arts, London, 2014.