Catarina Diaz — Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

May 5

May 5 Catarina Diaz

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 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. I have exhibited in the UK and throughout Europe and my artworks have appeared in British publications such as House & Garden, The World of Interiors and Vogue. As an artist, I relish mixing various media, such as oil-sticks and acrylics on paper, combining them with manual collage. My work can be seen in digital installations, exhibitions and art fairs in London and across Europe, on a Portuguese TV show and in British magazines such as 'Artist Talk Magazine', 'Tatler', 'Vanity Fair', ‘House & Garden’, ‘The World of Interiors’ and ‘Vogue’.

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 methods. I particularly enjoy using oil-sticks and acrylics on paper 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 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. BBC art critic and curator Maeve Doyle described my work as “very, very transcendent pieces that mix realism with spirituality and surrealism”.

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 UK and across Europe. I am currently consistently exhibiting at M.A.D.S. Milano and I am also represented by the Square One Agency in Portugal and the online Gallerima Art story.

Currently, I have several pieces exhibited on the set of the Portuguese highly rated TVI show Cristina Comvida aired in prime time, and I was invited to be on this programme to talk about my work. My work has also been featured on the TV lifestyle programme Viva Vida.

I am also currently exhibiting at M.A.D.S. Milano and I was also selected the Visionary Projects to be in an online exhibition curated by Voss Gallery, in San Francisco. In the next few months, I will also be represented by Madrid art galleries at the Art3f International Contemporary Art Fair in Paris and Brussels. This summer, I will also be exhibiting at Cael Gallery and M.A.D.S Milano in Milan and in two collective exhibitions in Portugal, besides participating in the FOCUS LONDON London Art Fair, in collaboration with Saatchi Gallery, FOLD Gallery and FITZROVIA Gallery.

My pieces have also been featured in BBC Radio Host Jo Good’s Middleagedminx Vlog and iconic British magazines such as House & Garden, The World of Interiors, Tatler, Vanity Fair and Vogue. The art magazine Artist Talk Magazine is currently featuring my work in their special April 2021 edition “Art in isolation”. The Contemporary Art Magazine will be also featuring my work in their next issue, and has awarded me the Collector’s Vision International Art Award for outstanding achievements and potential. Furthermore, I will also be featured in the Artists Anthology, Contemporary Artists 2021: Madrid Edition, curated by Guto Ajayu Culture.

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. BBC 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 doing research in 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 have them printed 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 definitely the research and finding inspiration, the composition on paper and canvas and the painting.

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

My work has recently been exhibited on a digital installation in Oxford Street, London, and I am participating in exhibitions in the UK and across Europe. I am currently a resident artist in M.A.D.S Milano, and I am represented by the Square One Agency in Portugal and the online Gallerima Art story. For the next couple of months, I am having several pieces exhibited on the set of the Portuguese highly rated TVI show Cristina Comvida aired in prime time and I were invited to be on this program to talk about my work. It will also be featured on the TV lifestyle programme Viva Vida.In the next few months, I will also be represented by Madrid art galleries at the Art3f International Contemporary Art Fair in Paris and Brussels and by the Visionary Projects at Voss Gallery, in San Francisco. My pieces have also been featured by BBC Radio Host Jo Good’s in her Middleagedminx Vlog and in iconic British magazines such as House & Garden, The World of Interiors, Tatler, Vanity Fair and Vogue. The art magazines Artist Talk Magazine is featuring my work in their special April 2021 issue “Art in isolation”. The Contemporary Art Magazine will also be featuring my work in their next issue and has awarded me the Collector’s Vision International Art Award for outstanding achievements and potential. 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/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/catarina_diaz_/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/catarinadiazarts