My work is an exploration of vulnerability and survival. Rooted in my own experiences and especially tied to the difficult history of my Colombian homeland; this tropical land, home to mountains and oceans, llanos and rainforests, is also a place of intense growth and change, and violence throughout my lifetime. Coming to terms with this reality is manifest in my search for truth through art.
Moving from weakness to strength, my imagery is nurtured by the natural environment and by the complexity of language, to describe the spectrum of knowledge with which we cohabit. As in poetry, there is a shorthand of expression which creates mulitple layers of meaning and understanding. Like memory, the articulation of space encompasses experience, the lived life. Emotional transparency makes the weight of experience tangible.
Light obscures and reveals, constructs and rebuilds realities both real and imaginary, impacting the distance between the artist and viewer. Whether with light or with paint or with technology, whether two-dimensional or spatial, the aim is always to extend the reach and connect on a deeper level with the audience.
Mark-making, whatever the medium, is a way of moving backwards and forward in time and in space. It is here that the fragility of our existence becomes clear, and here that we experience the epiphany of the encounter with beauty.
Lorenza Panero, 2023