Artist’s Statement

For years I have worked permanently in the visual arts, showing a special interest in drawing, performance, photography, developing book objects and works on paper. Moreover, time is recorded and saved in images, words and gestures on diaries and notebooks dating back many years. The relationship between the body and visual/plastic arts has become more relevant in my expression and my pedagogy, setting the standard for creative research process.
In essence I am a draughtswoman. I look at the world as if I were scratching it, clawing, breaking, marking, washing it out, delineating, organizing and shattering it. I move between images that I invent and which invent me. I pay tribute to the creatures that have made me, and others who appear tempting my instruments to speak out, challenging my ability. I depart from drawing as a structure that weaves my humanity and is the base on my expression. The photographic camera is an instrument that records my view of the world close to me, especially urban nature. As an artist, every day I become more aware of the network of relationships with the environment and express what I feel, think and perceive through my art work references of what is around me, imaginary or material.

Aufbruch³, an investigation, exhibit at KiG! Graz, has been an invitation to develop a group of works which has allowed me to express in larger paper formats than those which I have been able to do in years. The challenge to work, share and collaborate creatively with two other much younger artists from Ukraine and Iran, has made me reflect about migration, exile, strangeness, being women artists and otherness. We have been here just a short time in years and have had to confront ourselves to a new language and culture. At 71 years of age, political and military conflict at home made me leave Venezuela in order to begin a new cycle of life. A challenge indeed which I don’t know if I was prepared to live but have taken on directly and most sincerely. From the beginning, with good space available to work in, thanks to KIG! and curators Anita and Eva, my mindset dealt around the process and daily registry of images and ideas. I started in December 2023, convinced that a very personal state of uncertainty would guide me and that I would let myself go freely and honestly to find out whatever was to emerge. Reading, transcribing poetic texts, writing and meditating have allowed my process to be very nourishing and adventuresome. Placed in the middle of Europe, in Graz, I now look at the world from another perspective of time and space. Wars are closer in a different dimension. My art walks on wider paths. I like to think that since I am older now and wiser, slower and more patient, the work shows it. One thing I have re-gained in this movement to Austria is my love for making murals, being able to go to greater scales, conquer public space and express in much larger formats. I have a lot of people to thank for this here and my eternal love that links me to my legacy as a Mujer Muralista back in the 1970’s in SF, California.

Consuelo Méndez. Graz, Austria. 3.03.2024