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“DeStain” Detail, Color Pencil and Ink on Paper, 14 x 17 in
“Each completed image, a fleeting reversal of what you might see, seeing you.”
~Esmorina Laspiranza
Drenched in the rhythmic hues of the Caribbean palette, my works burst forth with the vivacious colors of Carnaval. When I crave refuge, my soul pirouettes between a nostalgic return to my beloved Colombia and the silent allure of my sketchpad's realm.
My art practice is a dedication to creating space. This may sound perplexing given what you see, but you must ask: what it is I create space for? “It,” precisely... The enigmatic engine that propels creativity: the muse that produces, consumes and is consumed by the compositions that are encompassed within the contours of the frame.
The Making of "Paramarillo”
Runtime: 1min 44 seconds
My body becomes a conduit through which ink and raw color flow. As if tempting fate itself, I push my paper to the brink of rupture. With an almost primal fervor, I unleash torrents of waxy color pencil upon the chaos of the White. The page wears the rainbow scars of my whimsical torment, each stroke a verse in the poetry of memory. A siren song entrancement, a state where dreams take flight on the wings of ink. Each completed image, a tangible transmission of magic, a fleeting reversal of what you might see, seeing you.
Echoing the lyrical cadence of Colombia’s magical realist storytelling the eyes, with their autonomous existence, peer outward into the unknown. My gaze tethered to that ethereal realm suspended within the boundaries of each frame. In my reverie, I yearn for a convergence, where those who linger upon my creations feel compelled to share their untold tales.
TORRENTS UNLEASHED
As the sound of my pencil scratching the paper choreographs a scene that exists beyond me, each line hums a silent symphony, seductively performing and inviting compadres to indulge in the dance of imagination. Like a traveler, lost in a labyrinth of desire, the mystical aura of Colombian Folklore floats like salsa music on the breezes of Taganga to a reserved wall space in your world. Where, if you wish, you may delve into your own fragmented subjectivity through the multitude of gazes each piece may offer.
Conjuring spells of uncertainty, I enchant you with this revelation: There exists no definitive manner to display my artworks. As the canvas becomes a site of contestation between artist and viewer, you hold the power to determine which eyes you meet- dictating the manner in which you are perceived. My “it”, a spectral presence within the work, whispers secrets from the past. An instance of the elusive pursuit of self realization, the piece can become a locus of ontological inquiry where traces of my being intersect with the gaze of the other. Aiming thus to serve as a gateway, a portal, to an encounter with infinite facets of the kaleidoscopically fragmented human existence.
– Esmorina Laspiranza 4/12/2024
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