ARTIST: ANA RODA
PRESENTATION:
My name is Ana Roda and I hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU) in Bilbao, Spain. My connection with the world of art began in my childhood, driven by a personal urge to capture colour and shapes with my hands, in order to express my simple view of life on blank sheets of paper.
I had no doubt that I wanted to study both the theory and practice of art.
I always enjoyed visiting art exhibitions, and when the holidays came round, I would celebrate by spending my afternoons painting at home. I played like any other child, but painting was my greatest pleasure whenever I had a moment to relax.
In my professional life today, I combine my artistic research with fostering creativity and an appreciation for the arts in young people, working as an art teacher at a State High School in the province of Valladolid, Spain.
It is essential to educate young people not only in artistic creativity but also in creativity for life.
I also work on a weekly basis with the Psychopathology team at the Río Hortega University Hospital in Valladolid, helping patients with mental health issues to improve through artistic expression and advocating for the normalisation of mental illness and social inclusion.
As far as my work in art is concerned, for several years now, research and production in my studio have taken up a large part of my life.
It has been some time since I last exhibited my work to the public, as I have been keen to experiment with forms and colours, developing different lines of work, all linked by a common thread: my love of life, my love of art, and my desire to create illusions that spring from the blank canvas.
The latest projects I am currently working on are entitled: 'CITIES IN SILENCE', 'STAGES OF SILENCE', 'WORDS AND GLANCES', 'METAPHORS OF PSYCHOANALYSIS' and 'A WOMAN IN A HAT'.
'CITIES IN SILENCE' was a body of work I began during the COVID lockdown, in which I depict cities devoid of people, using rich colours and forms that might evoke impossible architecture. I continued with this approach during the early days of the war in Ukraine.
'STAGES OF SILENCE' is my next line of work, which centres on the depiction of the nude female form in dreamlike settings, inspired by verses from Italian songs I listen to in my studio. The scenes always allude to the preservation of nature and the Planet, and to the defence of women’s rights and their personal feelings within the society in which we find ourselves immersed.
'WORDS AND GLANCES' is a collection of works I have created and donated to the Mental Health Unit at the hospital where I work as a volunteer. Each piece is a visual poem in which I combine text and image so that patients with mental health issues have mirrors in which to look at themselves and understand that life belongs to everyone and is for everyone, and that their problems are listened to and resolved by the specialists in that Mental Health Unit.
'METAPHORS OF PSYCHOANALYSIS' is a new line of work in which I undertake a personal research study into the support that psychoanalysis, as a form of therapy, can offer people in bringing order to their minds, their lives and their personal desires.
'A WOMAN IN A HAT' is a new form of self-expression featuring women’s faces wearing hats, which serve as a tribute to Peace, Love, Life, Desire…
They are the muses I would like the world to take note of, so that we do not lose the values that define us as human beings.
This is the line of work I am submitting to your art contest because the world needs essential human values to restore balance, as the lack of international order and equilibrium has tipped the scales in the wrong direction.
TECHNIQUE:
The technique I use to create these works is a mixed media approach combining watercolour and acrylic on handmade linen-fibre paper rich in texture. This texture causes the colours printed on the surface of the paper to appear in many more shades.The sheets measure 100 x 100 cm and have a weight of 1000 gsm.
The watercolour, with four washes, adds colour to the backgrounds of each piece; the reason for using this number of washes is to create a surface rich in colour to capture the viewer’s attention.
For me, colour is synonymous with life, with a zest for life and a passion for creation.
Acrylic paint gives shape to forms—in this case, these MUSES OF LIFE—making each painting a unique subject that conveys a single message to the viewer: love, peace, freedom, desire, a kiss, life.
Acrylic paint is also used on every square centimetre of the surface of the works, with more than two layers applied to achieve ink-like colours with a glossy, enamel-like finish.
I believe it is necessary to emphasise the importance of the simple words I have chosen, because we live in turbulent times in which the simplicity of gestures of human connection is gradually losing its purpose and value.
Moreover, when times get tough, we must all return to the almost idealistic roots of embracing, kissing and loving one another, life itself, and respect for those close to us; to the desire to grow towards life rather than death; and to live fully the most precious things we are and have.
The word appearing on each muse’s chest is written in four different languages because they are intended to convey a universal message.
The true measure of a work’s universality lies not in seeking international fame, but in conveying an inclusive message that resonates with all human beings.
Furthermore, the works are simple in style and feature motifs that are familiar to us, such as flowers, circles, hearts, stars and moons… because each piece aims to convey a single message, and the decorative elements create well-balanced compositions.
This balance is also achieved by the square format of each painting, which creates a sense of tension or movement through the oblique positioning of the women depicted.
THE INTENTION BEHIND ‘A WOMAN IN A HAT’. CONCEPTUALISM:
I have been making comments that touch on this point, and through my words I wish to convey a clear and honest message.
We are born into this world and learn to live within the circumstances we are given, but my greatest wish is to feel that we all have the same rights, even if we are not afforded the same opportunities.
After all, life is a journey we are on, one that shapes and defines our personal story.
We must all be equal in the eyes of one another, in the eyes of the law, in the eyes of justice, in the eyes of peace, in the eyes of freedom, in the eyes of respect, in the eyes of love, in the eyes of life itself, in the eyes of our deepest dreams, and in the eyes of the desire to live.
Expressing myself through art in its many forms, combined with my work as a teacher and as a volunteer in the hospital’s Mental Health Unit, has personally made me more sensitive to events both within and outside my immediate surroundings.
Standing firm on fundamental human values is simply a matter of leader equality and hope for all of us who inhabit Planet Earth. It is these everyday actions that keep me firmly rooted in society and in the context in which my life unfolds.
And words and art are tools for dialogue and for resolving problems, conflicts and misunderstandings.
The future belongs to all of us who long for personal and international peace, and to those who will eventually come to realise that there is no other way.
I would also like to make it clear that I have never liked being a leader of political causes, but I do support those issues that affect us as a society and where we have a role to play in making decisions and helping those around us.
For me, painting is like writing my life in the colours of dreams.
SHORT CURRICULUM VITAE:
MY MOST IMPORTANT EXHIBITIONS:
VIVE-ARTE - EXTREMADURA INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR. EXTREMADURA. SPAIN. 2017. 2019.
‘SONG FOR THE MOON’. LACAN CENTRE. VALLADOLID. SPAIN. 2016.
ARTE50 LISBOA. CASAPIA. LISBON. PORTUGAL. 2014. 2016.
‘MOON SEAS’. HOUSE OF THE ARTS. LAGUNA DE DUERO. VALLADOLID. SPAIN. 2015.
‘LET YOUR GAZE CARESS THE SHADOW OF MY VOICE’.CASA DE LA PARAULA. BARCELONA. SPAIN. 2015.
‘LETTERS FOR THE SILENCE OF PEACE’. CINEMAS BROADWAY. VALLADOLID. SPAIN. 2015.
GALLERIA 9 OCRE. MONTEMOR. PORTUGAL. 2014.
PALENCIA ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM. JUNTA DE CASTILLA Y LEÓN. SPAIN. 2012.
LE TROTTOIR ALLA DARSENA: RITROVO D'ARTE, CULTURA E DIVERTIMENTO. MILAN. ITALY. 2012.
OPENING OF THE SAMUEL GALLERY. VALLADOLID. SPAIN. 2011.
TEXTURE IN THE LANDSCAPE. ARTISTS FOR A NEW GENERATION. THE DÍAZ-CANEJA FOUNDATION. PALENCIA. SPAIN. 2011.
PERMANENT EXHIBITION IN THE BIODIVERSITY ROOM AT THE COLOMBIAN EMBASSY. MADRID. SPAIN. 2010.
VITTORIA COLONNA HOTEL. ‘SONG OF THE SUN ON WINTER NIGHTS’. MEDINA DE RIOSECO. VALLADOLID. SPAIN. 2010.
LA PINTARTECA. ART AND RESTAURANT VENUE. MADRID. SPAIN. 2009.
THE BOCALLAVE TRILOGY: ‘TO WET YOUR APPETITE’, ‘BY WORD OF MOUTH’, “‘UST AS YOU LIKE IT’. PIMENTEL PALACE AND PATIO HERRERIANO MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART. VALLADOLID. SPAIN. 2006. 2007. 2008. 2009.
OPEN STATION. PERMANENT EXHIBITION HALL. CAMPO GRANDE STATION. ADIF. MINISTRY OF PUBLIC WORKS. VALLADOLID. SPAIN. 2008.
IN MEMORIAM SANTIAGO AMÓN. CAJA DUERO EXHIBITION HALL IN VALLADOLID AND THE PALENCIA PROVINCIAL CULTURAL CENTRE. SPAIN. 2008.
'LAND, SOMETHING TO FEEL’. CAJA DUERO EXHIBITION HALL. PALENCIA. SPAIN. 2006.
‘ROWING TOWARDS THE STELLAR ICE’. BBVA BANK EXHIBITION HALL. VALLADOLID. SPAIN. 2005.
10 ART TEACHERS. CALDERÓN THEATRE EXHIBITION HALL. VALLADOLID. SPAIN. 2005.
"DIVERTIMENTOS". TERESA CUADRADO GALLERY. VALLADOLID. SPAIN. 2002.
CONTEMPORARY ART CONGRESS:
SECOND CONTEMPORARY ART CONFERENCE. MUSAC (CASTILLA Y LEÓN MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART. LEÓN. MIGUEL DELIBES CULTURAL CENTRE. ART AS A MARKET STRATEGY. VALLADOLID. SPAIN. 2014.
IV CONTEMPORARY ART CONGRESS OF CASTILLA Y LEÓN. ‘ALL PRACTICE IS LOCAL’. LEÓN. SPAIN. 2013.
CONGRESS: ‘SPANISH EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES ABROAD’. Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport (CSI-F). MADRID. SPAIN. 2013.
II CONGRESS ON SPANISH CONTEMPORARY ART. CASA ENCENDIDA. MADRID. SPAIN. 2012.
IV CONTEMPORARY ART CONGRESS OF CASTILLA Y LEÓN. ‘ALL PRACTICE IS LOCAL’. PRODUCTION CENTRES IN LOCAL CONTEXTS. DA2. SALAMANCA. SPAIN. 2011.
A FORM OF ORGANISATION CENTRED AROUND THE VOID. ‘PSYCHOANALYSIS, ART AND POLITICS, MUSAC. CASTILLA Y LEÓN MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART. LEÓN. SPAIN. 2011.
SECOND CONGRESS OF CONTEMPORARY CULTURAL PRODUCTION AND CRITICISM. ARTISTIC AND EDUCATIONAL PRACTICE. CASA ENCENDIDA. MADRID. SPAIN. 2010.
CONGRESS. PRODUCE. PRESENT AND INTERPRET. MUSAC. CASTILLA Y LEÓN MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART. LEÓN. SPAIN. 2009.
INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON ART CRITICISM. PUBLIC ART TODAY. PATIO HERRERIANO MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, MUSAC, CASA DEL CORDÓN AND e-LEA CENTRE. VALLADOLID. LEÓN. BURGOS. SPAIN. 2009.
AWARDS:
WINNER OF THE SPECIAL ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE AWARD 12.13 ART LAGUNA. SCUOLA DEL VETRO ABATE ZANETTI. MURANO. VENEZIA. ITALY. 2013.
FINALIST IN THE ART COMBAT PRIZE INTERNATIONAL ART PRIZE. LIVORNO. ITALY. 2012.
SELECTED BY THE CASTILLA Y LEÓN MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART (MUSAC) TO PRESENT MY ARTISTIC WORK. LEÓN. SPAIN. 2008.
SELECTED BY THE DÍAZ-CANEJA FOUNDATION. PAINTING WORK. PALENCIA. SPAIN. 2002.
ARTIST SELECTED FOR THE ‘JUVENTUD 92’ PROGRAMME BY THE REGIONAL GOVERNMENT OF CASTILLA Y LEÓN. SPAIN. 1992.
ART FAIRS:
ARTÈNÎM. LA FOIRE INTERNATIONALE D'ART CONTEMPORAIN DU SUD. NÎMES. FRANCE. 2007.
ARCALE. CASTILLA Y LEÓN INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR. VALLADOLID. SPAIN. 2007.
ART-SALZBURG. INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR. SALZBURG. AUSTRIA. 2006.
14a MOSTRA MERCATO NAZIONALE DI ARTE CONTEMPORANEA. BRESCIA. ITALY. 2006.
You can find my full CV on my website.
Thank You so much.
Kind regards,
Ana Roda
