We met with the artist Valeria Sidañez, who recently launched five original pieces with us. The paintings she has created for Caeli refer to the birth of something new, to that moment where everything is tender, innocent and delicate.
Keep reading to learn more about Valeria and the birth of Abstract Poems.
How did you start working in the art world?
My father was a great painter and draftsman, and my mother is an architect, so I grew up immersed in this universe. My first vocation, studies and training for many years was music. However, as time passed and many things in life changed (the birth of my three children, the sudden death of my father, my move from Buenos Aires to Barcelona, among others), I found myself combining my deep love for painting with my other great passion: interior decoration and Japanese art. From this personal call and with the purpose of expanding sensitivity, love and beauty within and around people throughout the world, I created my brand of paintings for interior design.
Why collage?
Mainly because I love paper! And because collage allows me to move and arrange "objects" over the space (which I really enjoy!). Compose or decompose a shape, cut, tear, create spaces, order, harmony... I often use fragments or textures of my own paintings and unite them in a very clear dialogue that emerges as I work.
Where do you get inspiration from?
I am fascinated by everything that surrounds and involves aesthetics, philosophy of life and Japanese art; I love the elegance, simplicity and refinement they achieve with their exquisite delicacy, care for order and clean lines.
I am inspired by wild nature, the colors of the art of ancient civilizations, dance, music, architecture, abstract expressionism, Zen... In short, I am inspired by everything that exudes beauty, truth and poetry.
Where does the inspiration behind Caeli's paintings come from?
Caeli's paintings refer me to the birth of something new, to that moment where everything is tender, innocent and delicate. For these paintings, I have omitted black (a color that I almost always use), and I have chosen a palette of neutral tones mixed with very soft greens, old pink and peach that brings us closer to a relaxed, fresh and luminous state. The job is an invitation to contemplation, to the pleasure of looking, to taking time out of time and enjoying that journey.
You do wabi-sabi art. What does this mean for you?
I have always been moved by that poetic and fragile part of beauty, paying attention to the small details of objects (which you only see if you pay real attention) and the mark that time leaves on things. I enjoy observing and creating textures and contrast between the materials, the lines drawn by the cracks, the fortuitous union between the stains, the worn colors, the small tears.
A long time ago and without knowing that there was a name for all this, I discovered the term wabi-sabi in a precious book, feeling totally in line with all its meaning, essence and language.
When I work, everything I seek and find arises from this context and moves in this direction.
How do you create a slow home?
The house, like life itself, is a permanent exercise of change, growth and evolution. I at least live it that way. My house is my teacher, and she always has something to teach me (and I don't always like everything she teaches me!). That’s why I learn and advance with her.
My house (where I live with my children and which is also my art studio), is a space that I try to keep orderly, quiet, intimate, natural and personal. I achieve this by constantly filtering the things surrounding me and highlighting only those objects and materials that emanate a certain charm, nobility or warmth.
I believe that a “slow” house invites you to take a long and deep breath when you enter it, to open your gaze and your heart to the beauty of the world that surrounds us and, above all, to perceive the subtlety that lives within each one of us.
Do you have tips for the Caeli community?
I do not have advice, but I do have the certainty that just as from the inside we create and transform our exterior, caring for our “home” (whatever it is) we can also rebuild, transform and nourish our interior with light.
Valeria Sidañez has created five new pieces for Caeli under the collection Abstract Poems. Art pieces arise from the synergistic result of all her experiences and from the poetic sum of a strong and, at the same time, delicate order. The Abstract Poems Collection is a perfect addition to your wabi-sabi interiors project.
