Amalia Valdés

ÁNIMA

On the occasion of Berlin Art Week 2021, Anahita Contemporary presents the first solo exhibition of Chilean artist Amalia Valdés.

Amalia Valdés works with geometric abstraction using specific patterns that deliver a testimony of the sacred symbols of diverse ancestral cultures. In her solo exhibition Ánima the artist installs objects made of steel plaques, painted cork, drawings made on graph paper, and a totem sculpture that combines ensembled pieces made of aluminum, bronze, and ceramics.

Valdés’ paintings or steel reliefs are influenced by space-time. They depend on the light and of who is inhabiting the surrounding space. Three mobile objects hang rhythmically in the space, while others are mounted directly onto the wall. These interactive pieces play on the contrast between geometric patterns and reflective materials. The artist calls these pieces Soul Collectors – they act as collectors of a part of the soul of whoever sees him or herself reflected in them.

There are three ethereal paintings, elaborated on sheets of cork. Flat and transparent colors are combined with the subtlety of this organic material, as well as with different symbols.

A series of drawings on graph paper reminds us of mystical figures inspired by avatars or entelechies drawn from the unconscious, or from distant and unknown times.

The result is a combination of present and past, pencil drawings that enter into dialogue with technologically complex pieces, where the artist works through an order that is established by self-imposed grids and the enjoyment of creating through play and intuition. In Ánima, we see how Valdés’ work is the result of a crucible of different cultural influences that combine various techniques that simultaneously evince the artist’s inquiring creative process.

Specially for this exhibition a catalog will be published with a text by Daniela von Damaros, as well as an interview between Amalia Valdés and Anahita Sadighi.

The project is supported by the NEUSTART KULTUR art fund.