Where can I see her art?
Instagram: @inessilvaart
Website: https://www.inessilva.com/
See her artwork at the collective exhibition Women shaping abstraction at the Durban Seginini Gallery in Miami until October 24th, 2024.
Inés Silva is a geometric artist and architect from Venezuela currently living and working in Miami, Florida.
Her Story
"My father was an architecture Professor at the Central University of Venezuela. I even went to Elementary School with other Professors' children. I was exposed at a young age to the University's city where art integrated to the architecture." Inés graduated as an architect from the Central University of Venezuela. While working as an architect she explains that she was always working in parallel on ongoing investigations and non functional models; what she calls proto obras. "In 2002, the Central University of Venezuela had its first Art Biennale at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism. My husband encouraged me to participate and I won the Critics Award which was based on people's votes with an artwork made in acrylic. There was even a person interested in purchasing my exhibited artwork (after the auction did not happen for some reason) but he wanted to know if I was going to continue on this path of art. It was days of inner work to finally make the decision that I was indeed going to continue on this path of art. It is a beautiful thing that this moment made me make a decision. I still have contact with him."
"I have been living in the United States for fourteen years and have two children. We moved because of the country's political situation and because my husband got a job opportunity here. It was a change of life."
Her Work
"I use acrylic plates in different widths. I work with superposition and transparency to create a range and rhythm of colors. I like composing with colored lines and stripes. I design the artwork in AutoCAD, not only the geometry but its technical part: how everything fits, making it easy to substitute or clean."
"Jardines Colgantes was my latest individual exhibition (2023) at the Graphic Art Gallery in Caracas. This is actually the same place where my first individual exhibition was. I had not shown anything in the country since 2009. Jardines Colgantes strives to defy gravity, they show a battle of opposites, full and empty, real and virtual. They have a philosophical sense."
Since 2015, Inés has worked with the Galerie Denise René in Paris, France.
"Between the lines was an individual exhibition in 2018 at the Ranivilu Art Gallery in Miami. The line was the protagonist. On some pieces you can see how the lines connect to the four planes of the acrylic to create a sense that it has a frame; it is a play of perception. Doricos are acrylic columns that turn with a motor. I worked with Goethe's color spectrum, there are pieces with the complete spectrum, and others with only warm or cold colors."
Inés is part of MADI (*). "Octavio Herrera, a Venezuelan artist living in Paris, invited me to a collective exhibition with MADI in Paris, France. And there was affinity with the group since then. I have worked on several exhibitions with them."
(*) from Museum of Geometric and MADI Art
MADI (Movement Abstraction Dimension Invention) is an international art movement focusing on geometric shapes that spill out of the traditional frame, and articulated and mobile structures. The movement dates to the mid-1940s in Buenos Aires with artist Carmelo Arden Quin.
Where do you find inspiration?
"It is a constant research and experimentation. I study how to connect different disciplines like architecture, design, philosophy, music and literature. You have to nourish yourself in all these different disciplines in order to be able to apply them in your artwork."
Inés explains she applies mathematical principles to her artwork, which I found fascinating. She explained Le Corbusier created a universal measuring system called the Modulor (*). "These mathematical principles create a harmony of the parts with the whole. In 2016, I had an exhibition called ARS Modulor at the Ranivilu Art Gallery in Miami. All the artworks were dimensioned and structured using the Modulor measuring system."
(*) from Pavillion Le Corbusier
The search for ideal dimensions and a universally applicable system of proportions occupied Le Corbusier (1887–1965) throughout his life. The culmination of his quest was the development and application of the legendary Modulor system, which combines a human scale with the golden ratio.
"I have a routine. I work out in my studio in the morning. I believe movement lets observation flow and gives space to new ideas. I work during the day in my studio and go for a walk on the beach during the evening when I can. The walks help clear my mind, make connections and receive new energies. I also believe music is vital to creativity. I had a period of listening to Opera. I think about my artwork with a musical sense. They have rhythm, resonance and proportion."
What are you focused on now?
"During the pandemic I started using metal wire as a material. I started to get to know this new material. You can see it on my series Solidus. I work on shadows with a white background and with reflections on a black background. This new material lets me work on artwork that can remain outdoors. So I am now working on big format which is something I always wanted to do as an architect."
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