Artist Inspired by Flowers and Butterflies: Marisela Valdivia

We would like to get to know you. We are also very curious about the identity of the artist.

Hi, I´m Marisela Valdivia, born in Lima, Perú (1974). I´m a photographer and a plastic artist. I have been drawn by abstraction, the role of color, and the composition that makes up an image. That is why I leaned towards abstract paintings and experimental photography; decomposing images and reconstructing them as a new whole. In 2020 I began to work with analog collage as a way of expression and artistic therapy.

You have a great imagination and what do you get your inspiration from?

Since I was a child, I have always been a very creative person and art has been the platform to express myself freely, whether through painting, photography, or collage.

I take inspiration from my experiences and everything I see happening around me. That nourishes me as an artist and allows me to develop new ideas to work with. Always looking for a more personal language and where my sensitive and observant personality is shown.

You used butterflies and flowers more in your art. Do you think they have a special meaning?

Yes, for me they have a special meaning that is why they appear many times in my works. Flowers are for me a symbol of life, the beauty of nature, fragility, and also of freedom; and butterflies are a symbol of spirituality, evolution, and transformation.Likewise, I use images of other elements of nature, as well as organic and geometric forms that we find in everything that surrounds us; these represent our life sometimes limited by our environment.

Images of women are also often included in your art. How do you think women in your art look in this world?

I have discovered that the women who appear in my work represent me and speak of me and the transformation processes in which I find myself. They are the result of my concerns, questions, and my work of personal introspection.

Usually, the images of women that I use are old or in black and white, because they speak of the connection we have with our past to discover who we are and are a starting point to look towards the future.

What is the place of women artists in the world? or what should it be?

The role of women in art is very important today. It is a medium that allows us to have a space to express ourselves and have a voice about our role in society, our struggles, and our achievements.

I think that today we are being more valued, listened to, and made visible. Access to the internet and social networks as more democratic platforms allow us to give greater diffusion to our works.

How did you decide to become a photographer? Do you think a photo tells a story?

I think from a very young age. I had my first camera when I was 9 years old and from then on I began to observe the world through my lens. However, it was not until my adulthood that I gave them the importance and value they had and made a career change towards photography and art.

For me, photos always tell a story, both of what we see reflected in them and of the artist behind them. I highly value works that show the beauty of the natural and the spontaneous in life.

Well, if we ask a question: Is it better art or craft? Which would you prefer?

For me, it would be art. Because it involves a vision, a feeling and is the result of an internal process of the artist; however, it is also important to the proper use of techniques, tools, and materials.

Are there any artists that inspire you, if so who?

There are many artists who inspire me because of their sensitivity, their capacity for abstraction, and the feelings that they generate in me when I see their works. In collage, for example, Rita Lavalle, Clive Knights, Kellette Elliot, and Adriana Pardo, among others. In photography: Martha Hoepfner, Edward Weston, Sandy Skoglund, Platon Antoniou, Marina Lattanzi, among others.

What do you use more when naming the paintings you create? like inspiring from something?

I like to give my works a title so that I can leave a little idea of the creative process that led me to them. Many times, I also accompany them with a phrase or a thought that was the starting point. But I also like that everyone can interpret it from their point of view.

Last thing you want to say?

For me, art has helped me get to know myself and has become a healing therapy. I would like to invite everyone to connect with their creative side and dare to discover it.

I think we can all reinvent ourselves, transform and grow through art. All this makes me think that art is infinite.

Thank you very much for your interest.

If you want to know more about me and about my work and upcoming exhibitions, I invite you to follow me on my social networks.

Instagram

marisela_valdivia_art

mariselavaldiviafotografia

Web:

https://mariselavaldivia.mypixieset.com/

Kind regards!

Marisela Valdivia