16/08/2018 Bárbara Gual
Letícia Irupé is an Argentine artist. Her work within art includes painting, drawing, engraving, ceramics and muralism. In an interview with VHMOR, Leticia tells us why she decided to start working with art:
“It is a way of transmitting ideas and sensations, art makes me feel good and I need it. I also see in art a way of integration, as it involves social interaction and collective participation, as well as sharing and modifying my environment.”
Among the artists she quotes are Kandinsky, Marc Chagall, Leonora Carrington, Remedios Varo and Xul Solar. It is possible to perceive these influences in the colors that the artist uses, in her traces and marks tending to the abstract, and also in the psychological density that her works transmit, with forms that reveal a surreal universe, loaded with sensitivity.
Among the themes that are most used by the artist we have the nature, the mystic, the family and the experiences she has acquired during her travels. Her work involves culture, myths and traditions, but she also takes a liking to the different and her art holds a complicity with her feelings, denouncing them to the world. She still uses her work to bring up issues that she considers important and that should be discussed by society.
Understand a little more about Leticia’s work in her artist statement:
“Since I was a child I have always liked to paint and use colors to express different feelings. Currently, I continue to create a game free of intuitions about the lines and then build, mentally analyzing the images I am doing, sometimes working only with colors and abstractions or with lines, shapes and textures.
As stimulus for my paintings I have the trips, the nature, different landscapes and cultures. Traditions and ancient gods are some of my recurring themes. In addition, my draws are also inspired by artists such as Kandinsky, Van Gogh, Picasso, Marc Chagal, Xul Solar, photography and dreams.
I use acrylics, pastels, watercolors, and crayons to do my works; this choice of material depends on the theme and sensations I want to represent. For example, to represent personal feelings, I choose gouaches and crayons. Most of the time I work on canvas, but I also use large sheets. In addition, I paint large-scale murals with a feminist theme on the streets of the city where I live. These themes represent concerns and feelings that I have about what is happening in my life. I try to convey joy, warmth, movement and spirituality.
My work has as context my place, my neighborhood, the landscapes that I visit. An attempt to build and reflect upon a scale of true and proper values, to create new ways of thinking, new feelings and ways of acting, reaching more people and their inner voice. Much of my work and my growth as an artist is related to my interaction with others, like my students and my classmates; with places I go as secondary schools and community spaces. I am currently a collaborator in a community garden where we collectively try to build and exchange knowledge.”.
It is noted that Leticia’s artwork presents joy, musicality and spirituality. Her works bring a narrative that awakens discussions in the spectator, provokes the communication and becomes an instrument of change. With the joy expressed in the striking colors that she uses, the artist brings a unique visual identity, full of movement, that makes the viewer want to move with her, within a ritualistic universe.
To know more about Leticia’s artwork follow Leticia Irupe and VHMOR!
