Manuela Viera-Gallo
PATRIARCADO, 2023
Oil on canvas
70x62
 
When I paint in front of the canvas I try to demolish rational thought. Even though I step into a world of fantasy I still try to touch upon collective concerns such as the protest movement of women, motherhood, body shaming and emotional violence. You notice in my paintings the motif of the mask where I investigate how an individual changes their personality to conform to social pressure, abuse or harassment. I depict desire through mysterious encounters between humans and animals including very bold and bright colors. Often the canvases are infused with eroticism blending with ambiguity of fragmented forms. In my work I try to reveal the fraught sexual and psychological forces which are hidden just beneath the surface of reality.