Laura Carralero

Laura Carrallero is one of the young generation of the most promising painter from Havana.

The past we can’t change, the present we live in but the future, the future belongs to us.

Laura Carralero Morales’ new series of painting draws from a variety of influences while staying true to her unique interpretation of historic sources and architectures. How is the unchanging, the eternal to be represented? Russian icons, their unflinching adherence to tradition and continuity, are one inspiration, adapted and transformed of course. The slight modernist aesthetic twist – another historical source – delivers a humorous nod to the construction of human proportions, while still taking seriously the deep time of canon and history. She writes of her practice:

I work with the experience of inhabiting a space. Not only in a physical way, but also with elements that stay in the memory in the shape of sensations and reflections that were picked up in the moment of visiting a specific place. I research the spaces thoroughly, the light, the textures. The outcome then, is that everything that had a definite shape, color and depth becomes a spiritual element. Before visiting a specific space one tries to visualize it without ever experiencing it. After being in that space however, one must try to recollect the images remembered from that site. An experience filtered through the capacity of memory.

The memories of the artist take up space in our imagination through the presence of her creations. As the historic inspirations became transformed through her work, our spatial sensibilities become enriched though the paintings. The lingering sensations of visits to unfamiliar places and architectures, histories and encounters allow us to reflect and muse upon the ambiguities of our environment.

As faces and buildings overlap in nearly cinematic precision, the spaces in between stay open for interpretation. The eternal and the ephemeral, the personal and the transcendental are juxtaposed in such a way that the viewer might just glimpse their fleeting self in its reflection.

Text: Andrea Hinteregger De Mayo

Mai 36 is delighted to present the exhibition by Laura Carralero as part of our 36.1 project. 36.1 is an initiative launched by Henri Gisler with the aim of showcasing, debating and discovering emerging and established artists. 36.1 serves as a platform for discussions, events and exhibitions on the first floor of Mai 36 Galerie in Zurich.

Gallery hours Tues – Fri 11 am – 6.30 pm, Sat 11 am – 5 pm

www.mai36.com

Location:
Mai 36 Galerie
Rämistrassse 37
8001 Zürich
Switzerland