Interview with Catarina Diaz — Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

Biography

I'm a London-based analog collage and mixed media artist. My artworks infused with Portuguese soul transcend mediums. By combining realism with surrealism and spirituality, my vibrant colour palette captures the feminine universe and London's cosmopolitan life juxtaposed with wild nature motifs. The contrast alludes to the possibility of nature restoring tranquillity to the chaos of the world. My pieces evoke contemplation and, ultimately, a return to blissful memories as the start of a journey of self-healing.

As an artist, I relish mixing various media, such as oil-sticks and acrylics on paper, combining them with analog collage. I am currently exploring interior design and the NFT world, as well.

My work can be seen in digital installations, virtual and physical collective and solo exhibitions and art fairs in London, Paris, Lisbon, Milan and other European cities, in New York and Toronto, on a Portuguese T.V. show and in British magazines such as 'Tatler', 'Vanity Fair', 'House & Garden', 'The World of Interiors', 'Vogue', 'Artist Talk Magazine' and 'The Flux Review'.

Artist Statement

I drew and painted since ever, inspired by my very artistic family. I spent my early infancy in Africa, and when I moved to Portugal at the age of five, my mother, my very first art mentor, coloured my early memories with a vibrant colour palette. The deep orange African sunsets, the vibrant pink flamingos and the magenta of the bougainvillaea were burnt into my imagination. After a career in Teaching, PR and International Relations in Portugal, alongside which I was always creating, I embraced the cosmopolitan life of London, which became another daily inspiration for my Art. As an artist, I relish exploring various mediums and techniques. I particularly enjoy using oil-sticks and acrylics on paper and canvas in an abstract style, combining them with analog collage. A seminal masterclass with Royal Academician David Mach opened analog collage and mixed media to me in a completely unexpected way, and I have never stopped creating since.

I consider my Art an invitation to reconnect to nature and ourselves. By juxtaposing urban life and nature, my pieces aim to evoke contemplation and, ultimately, a return to memories of more serene times as the start of a self-healing journey. The enigmatic feminine figures akin to the relaxed presence of the wild motifs serve as the recreation of my own identity and suggest that nature can offer us the ability to restore tranquillity in a chaotic world. This is my inspiration: a message of hope and beauty, life and rebirth.

My work has recently been exhibited on a digital installation curated by W1Curates in Oxford Street, London, and I have participated in exhibitions in the U.K. and across Europe. Last year I was also selected by the New York-based Visionary Projects to be in an online exhibition curated by Voss Gallery in San Francisco.

I am a resident artis at M.A.D.S. Art Gallery in Milan and Fuerteventura and I have recently exhibited at Galleria Cael in Milan and Monat Gallery in Madrid.

I had a permanent solo exhibition in the set of the Portuguese T.V.I. show Cristina Comvida, curated by Galeria Helder Alfaite, and I was on this programme to talk about my work. In addition, my work has also been featured on the T.V. lifestyle programme Viva Vida.

In 2021, I also exhibited my work with M.A.D.S. Art Gallery in their galleries in Milan and Canary Islands, with Monat Gallery in Madrid and two collective exhibitions in Portugal, besides participating in the Focus London Art Fair, with an exhibition at Fitzrovia Gallery and an Art Show at the Saatchi Gallery Museum.

I was also represented by Monat Art Gallery at the Art3f International Contemporary Art Fair in Paris in September and Van Gogh Art Gallery at the Art3f International Contemporary Art Fair Brussels in November 2021. Most recently, I also exhibited with M.A.D.S. Art Gallery in Milan and Fuerteventura events, I had an online solo exhibition curated by Albe Art Gallery from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and two collective exhibitions curated by São Rafael Galleries from Lisbon, Portugal.

My pieces have also been several times featured in B.B.C. Radio Host Jo Good's Middleagedminx Vlog, Portuguese online magazines, and iconic British magazines such as House & Garden, The World of Interiors, Tatler, Vanity Fair, Life Magazines, and Vogue. The art magazine Artist Talk Magazine featured my work in their special April 2021 issue "Art in isolation" in their July issue, "Celebrating Art", and in their October issue "Celebration of Art". In addition, I was again selected to be featured in their January issue, "People and places". I was also invited to be a member of this magazine whose publications go to the British Library legal deposit, a part of English law since 1662.

The Contemporary Art Magazine has also featured my work and has awarded me the Collector's Vision International Art Award for outstanding achievements and potential. The Luxembourg Art Prize awarded me the Certificate of Artistic Merit for 2021. Furthermore, I was also featured in the Artists Anthology, Contemporary Artists 2021: Madrid Edition, curated by Guto Ajayu Culture, presented at the Fine Arts Circle in Madrid, and she will be featured in the next issue of The Flux Review Magazine.

B.B.C. art critic and curator Maeve Doyle recently described my work as "very, very transcendent pieces that mix realism with spirituality and surrealism".

What first prompted you to think of becoming an artist?

I drew and painted from a very early age, inspired by my very artistic family. I spent my early infancy in Africa, and when I moved to Portugal at the age of five, my mother, my first art mentor, coloured my first memories with a vibrant colour palette. The deep orange African sunsets, the vibrant pink flamingos and the magenta of the bougainvillaea were burnt into my imagination.

Later in life, I embraced London's cosmopolitan life, which became another daily inspiration for my Art. A seminal masterclass with Royal Academician David Mach opened analog collage and mixed media to me in a completely unexpected way, inspiring me and giving me essential tools to explore new techniques. I have never stopped creating since.

More recently, as I felt the need to reinvent myself as a person and rediscover my artistic identity, I decided to explore this professional path as an emerging artist and was delighted with the recognition offered by the art world and my peers.

What kind of an artist do you ultimately see yourself?

I consider myself a self-taught exploratory artist, not restrained by conventions or formal ways to interpret the world. I relish exploring various mediums, techniques and methods, according to my inspiration. B.B.C. art critic and curator Maeve Doyle described my work as "very, very transcendent pieces that mix realism with spirituality and surrealism". And it is indeed difficult to explain what moves me to create or how it happens in my mind. I prefer to think that I am blessed with a creative and curious mind that enjoys experimenting and letting the artistic process flow freely and intuitively. I love creating thematic series; all meaningfully brought together by my admiration for the feminine figure and the nature motifs. Composing on paper and canvas, I particularly enjoy using oil sticks and acrylics in an abstract style, combining them with analog collage.

What are you hoping to communicate to the viewer through your work?

I consider my Art an invitation to reconnect to nature and ourselves. By juxtaposing urban life and nature, my pieces aim to evoke contemplation and, ultimately, a return to memories of more serene times as the start of a self-healing journey in such troubled times. The enigmatic feminine figures akin to the relaxed presence of the wild motifs suggest that nature can offer us the ability to restore tranquillity in a chaotic world. This is my inspiration: a message of hope and beauty, life and rebirth.

Can you explain the process of creating your work?

My work consists of originals and hand-embellished limited series of Giclée prints.

The whole creative process is quite long, starting from researching fashion, photography and wildlife magazines and books, taking inspiration from old films, documentaries, art literature, and anything that may catch my attention in a particular theme.

I gather images mostly from magazines, photographs and database images and print them as necessary. Then, I manually cut all the images and organize them by theme, composing them spontaneously on paper, according to my inspiration. Then, depending on the artwork, I also paint the background with acrylics and enhance the motifs with oil sticks after glueing all the clippings of the images to obtain the final composition.

The creative process's final step is to hand embellish the Giclée limited edition series of prints of the original work.

What is your favourite part of the creative process?

My favourite parts of the creative process are the research and finding inspiration, the composition on paper and canvas and the painting.

Can you explain the process of creating your work?

My work consists of originals and hand-embellished limited series of Giclée prints.

The whole creative process is quite long, starting from researching fashion, photography and wildlife magazines and books, taking inspiration from old films, documentaries, art literature, and anything that may catch my attention in a particular theme.

I gather images mostly from magazines, photographs and database images and print them as necessary. Then, I manually cut all the images and organize them by theme, composing them spontaneously on paper, according to my inspiration. Then, depending on the artwork, I also paint the background with acrylics and enhance the motifs with oil sticks after glueing all the clippings of the images to obtain the final composition.

The creative process's final step is to hand embellish the Giclée layered collage on canvas or the Giclée limited edition series of prints of the original work. I am currently also creating digitally signed Giclée prints and the NTFS of the original pieces.

Can you give us an insight into current projects and inspiration, or what we can look forward to from you in the near future?

I recently launched a limited-edition luxury cushion in collaboration with the Portuguese designer Joana Sá Cabanelas and the brand J.U.U.X. It is currently represented in several designer shops, at Sao Rafael Galleries and the store of the University of Porto. Soon it will also be represented at the store of the Maat Museum in Lisbon. I am currently creating a new cushion and a satin bag to add to the new collection.

Additionally, I am preparing my upcoming exhibitions and art fairs in London, New York, Paris (at the Carrousel du Louvre), Toronto, Barcelona, Madrid, Portugal, London, Milan, Fuerteventura, and new representations by a Brazilian and a Toronto gallery and an Italian N.F.T.S. platform. This project will include collaborating with a digital artist and a music producer. I am also creating a permanent piece for the Davis Museum in Barcelona. My ultimate goal is to see my work exhibited globally by galleries, as well as to convey to private collectors my message of beauty and hope in a better future, bringing some vibrance and joy to their homes and their lives.

Website: https://www.catarinadiaz.com/