Laura Zelaya
The Right Road
2018
Guatambú, pine, acrylic paint
7 x 6 x 16in.
Artist Statement
I create scenes where the Human Being is a protagonist in simple situations with poetic implications. Whether in their solitude, quest for self-improvement, or union with others, themselves, and their own desire, the figures reflect our limitations, dreams, longings, and feelings. These, as well as situations of conflict, are ingredients that nourish me as a source of inspiration and creative catalyst.
In my work, each element has a symbolic meaning. The movement is either soft or coarse, and the friction or sounds generated by the mechanism have a meaning, thus completing the work in both its concept and its poetry. I am interested in shrinking the distance between the spectators and the piece of art, that which is commonly looked at and not touched. Instead, I invite spectators to act as part of the situation, agents who can engage the mechanical movement to enter into some sensation or narrative scene by turning the crank. This is also the reason why I try to keep the mechanisms simple and almost always hidden, because I want them to focus on what happens, and not on how it happens; I wish to engage the viewer and make them an accomplice to the situation.
The conceptual meaning of my work has different layers; it is open to interpretation by each viewer. "Projection, Philly on my mind," one of the works made during this residency, speaks not only about a journey. The figure is in tension between the dream state and the struggle to bring that dream into reality; there are always adversities to overcome. Women have the dream of our liberation and we fight daily to make that a reality. The piece also conjures migrations, forced and chosen; women most often are responsible to carry the family into that future. The red string serves as a connection from mind to reality, an umbilical cord that generates life.
My works are in private collections and museums within and outside of Argentina.
