Beyond
Form and Beauty:
The Art of Viva Paredes
Viva Paredes’ visually stunning artwork immediately captures one’s
eye. Her contemporary sculptures created from glass, bronze and other
sources are brought to life with an infusion of organic materials. It
is the organic matter that situates Viva’s artwork in the realm
of alchemy. This is appropriate as her grandmother was a curandera,
a healer who used indigenous herbs to cure ailments of the body and
soul. Viva continues her grandmother’s tradition of healing by
creating artwork that explores the sacred space of ancestral memory,
culture, and linguistic history.
Beyond the form and beauty of her objects, what holds our attention
and burns the image into memory is how Viva’s work emanates from
her personal experiences as a Chicana and connects those experiences
to a larger societal history. It is here, that she is sculptor of spaces
and emotions that reclaim lost stories and honor the present struggles.
Indigenous cultural forms, such as the molcajete (grinding stone), are
reoccurring motifs in her work, but they are transformed beyond their
original utilitarian usage. This transformation occurs by layering,
by creating multiple objects that speak of the history of labor and
the work of women, both past and present. Densely scented fragrances
fill her vessels and the texture of organic matter intertwined with
the hard matter creates additional layers imbued with meaning from cultural
connections. It is here, that the primordial meets the contemporary.
It is here, beyond form and beauty, that the art of Viva Paredes lingers
in our memory and heals our soul.
Anjee
Helstrup-Alvarez
Associate Director & Curator
MACLA/Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana
