ARTIST VIRGINIA FRIEYRO

As someone fully aware of all the art websites out there, one thing I really enjoy is featuring and interviewing artists that I get to meet personally. Sharing their personal stories, understanding the emotions, or ideas behind their creativity is what makes me so interested in continuing to write on my platform. One such artist, is Virginia Frieyro, a Spanish painter, who recently invited me on a studio visit where I got a first hand look at her work and her inspiration. I am also excited to share this interview because she shares her latest news on her exciting art project, Virginia Frieyro 108. Read on.

About You Virginia.

I started out my journey in the art world studying interior design, and continued with a Master’s in Chromatic which led me to painting. From there I attended the University of Bellas Artes in Madrid, where I specialized in painting. I attended several workshops including a highlight for me which was, Fundacion Botin in Villa Iris. I collaborated with several galleries including Galeria Artificial and Galeria Maria Llanos as well as art fairs at home and abroad. I won the prestigious drawing awards of Premio Penagos and Fundacion Gregorio Prieto and Internationally I was a finalist in Dubai with the wonderful Sabrina Amrani Gallery.

Your greatest inspirations?

Art has always been a part of me no doubt. Ever since I was little, I went to galleries with my parents and often visited the Fundacion Juan March. One of my earliest memories is being completely hypnotized by a painting at the Museum Sorolla. I am always inspired during my travels, for example when I was in my 20’s I traveled all over Italy from church to church inspired by all the classic Italian masters: Giotto, Benozzo Gozzoli, Piero della Francesca, frescoes and gold leaf! I never tire of visiting the Prado to see the works of Patinir and recently on a trip to Vienna, I stayed an hour completely mesmerized by Brueghel. All of this translates some way or another into my work. In terms of contemporary artists, I am very interested by the work of Ethiopian artist Julie Mehretu, her work is very powerful and her exhibit at Fundacion Botín in Santander drove me crazy. There are also so many incredible women artists coming to light now, take the case of Hilma af Klint for example, the first abstract artist in history, before Kandinsky and Klee, her exhibit at the Guggenheim broke world records.

Tell us about the art world in Spain.

Only a few galleries are projecting internationally, and what is necessary is to bring Spanish art to the forefront. Invest in International fairs, even if they are only satellite of the bigger ones. Also, many good artists in Spain have to focus on promoting their own art and business development leaving them with less time for the creativity which is a challenge.

Tell us about your exciting project Virginia Frieyro 108

This project came to light casually, it was not thought out or organized, it simply just happened.

My exceptional yoga instructor, Ayan, gave us the 21 Sun Salutations challenge to complete daily for 108 days in a row. This came to me at a crossroads in my life, where I was retrospecting and saw it as an opportunity to heal. I spontaneously added one more element to the challenge, which was to complete a watercolor on each day. Each one represents an emotional record of every day from a very tough year, where I was coming back to my self, purging the toxins, anger and sadness that had consumed me for so long and like a volcano, this piece is my most magmatic. One watercolor leads to another, like a puzzle creating a massive unit that is about 2,50 by 6 meters long and which develops horizontally. On May 30th, I will bring all the pieces together in a final live performance where I will invite the audience at Casabanchel, to share this emotional moment of seeing the whole form in one final piece and complete for the first time. Thanks to my colleagues, Maria Gimeno and Diana Larrea who’se great work in bringing to light so many forgotten women artists in history, I dedicate each watercolor to these artists who either were born or passed on that day. It is my personal homage to these women artists, giving each unique day a title in their honor.