I have lived in Australia since 1985 and Melbourne is home to me. I arrived in Melbourne after living in exile in several Latin American countries.I have chosen painting as well as poetry as the ideal form to express my emotions about conflict in my homeland (Guatemala), diaspora and the Australian journey.
The paintings that form part of this exhibition (held at Mr Burch) manifest my belief that by stepping out of a life of normality it encourages me to bring a different narrative to the reading how life is intended to be pursued.A life of certainty brings complacency whereas uncertainty boosts creativity. Certainty has not been the norm in my life – rather an ephemeral passage that I idealise by the shape and form of the strokes which are latent in these paintings.
These paintings are a journey within a journey.It is a narrative that is evolving with further challenges. Two of the paintings here are part of a forthcoming exhibition on exile, identity and memory.
Azul It is all about the vastness of space. Blue is a colour which I initially felt I could not work with; restrained and guarded. I associated it identity and diaspora. I now feel at ease it with it. Azul is also a manifestation of the attainability of the unattainable.
Marco Vinicio 20 July 1983, my brother Vinicio (or El Nitzio as we called him in the family) was taken away by armed men in Guatemala City. For years I wanted to do to something on the anniversary of his disappearance. 30 years went by and finally composed a message to friends asking them to light a candle as a life celebration. This is the result of what friends sent me to remember him.
Refuge and exile The formality of being a refugee and living in exile somehow vanishes as time goes by. Remnants of what it is still manifests in many aspects of life years later. There is a commitment of bringing salience to the struggles for many people in lands of conflict and even in hosts environments.