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Mariana Paiva

Drawn to the world of abstract art and surrealism, my interest in these styles lies in their limitless potential, allowing me to explore the depths of my own imagination and tap into the spiritual world. Taking as inspiration, the world of dreams and the subconscious mind, from my point of view, creating art is a form of catharsis, and that is liberating.

In my work I seek to capture the hidden messages of human emotions and feelings. Representing, to some limit degree, the subconscious and unconscious of our psyche.

I believe that art has the power to transcend language, and by conveying and sharing feelings and ideas that we find difficult to consciously put into words, that may dwell in the collective unconscious, its processes act as a conduit, with its discourse permitting access to our inner language and expressions.

My artistic investigations involved initially formal research in psychology which has since evolved to embracing automatism and dismissing rationalism and evading logic as potentially limiting creativity. Instinct is not rational. Spirituality is instinctive.

My works are based on surrealist automatism. Its fluid shapes and boldness are the closest representation of the subconscious mind.

The automatic drawings represented in my works are related to the subconscious as it frees itself from the conscious and the canons, only relying on instinct during its process.

The subconscious is known to be an unexplored or incognito, abstract, and dreamlike “space”. Hence automatic drawing is linked to the subconscious. The action of drawing itself is a disconnection.

Drawing always implies an intervention to make the image visually captivating.

I believe through ́muscle memory ́ – a type of conscious repetitive movement that generate automatic actions – its neural connections develop an instinctive muscular response; thus, automatic drawing action becomes unconscious.

Therefore, my projects involve a junction of the conscious and the unconscious. Non-figurative forms when superimposed or confluent evoke another reality.

My work challenges the audience to look deeper within their inner world, engaging an emotive introspection in the search for meaning.

I explore the many mediums that are available to me. My work is characterized by a range of styles and techniques, from detailed pencil or oil pastel drawings to bold and expressive acrylic or watercolour paintings. I also enjoy working with clay, creating sculptural pieces that explore the interplay between form and texture, usually representing mystical entities, emphasizing spirituality.

Whether I am working with pencil, pen, oil pastels, watercolours, acrylic paint or clay, my approach is always to experiment, to push the boundaries of what is possible and to create work that is both challenging and rewarding for me and for my audience.

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