Artist Takeover- Alexandra Arellano Espinoza

What’s your background?

I graduated from the University of Chile where I studied Graphic Design before relocating to France where I graduated with a Masters in Digital Art and Interactive Design from the Sorbonne University.

For most of my professional career, I have worked as a designer in the areas of motion design and graphic creation, but in the last couple of years I have focused on my development as an artist.

Are there key themes in your work? What are they, how do you explore them?

My artistic work focuses on abstract movement as my main subject of visual exploration. Through the use of textures, bright colours and abstract patterns, every creation invites the viewer to go on a journey through a series of architectural compositions, where geometric lines combine and vibrate coming alive on paper revealing something new each time.

I am an artist that uses both animation and screen printing as my main mediums, both of these lend themselves towards working in a series of images. They give me the freedom I need to explore my main interests of movement and abstraction.

How has your practice developed or changed over time?

As a designer you respond creatively to other peoples questions or problems but as an artist I am responding to my own, this is a different proposition and one that I began exploring only last year, so I’m just starting on the open road of discovery and learning. I’m driven by the idea of always doing something that will make me better (either creatively or technically). Growth is important and I want to refine and continue developing my own graphical language by putting in place projects and challenges where I can evolve as an artist. I have had two solo shows in Paris and look forward to having more shows where I can explore new ideas and techniques.

What work or processes do you most enjoy doing?

I have a very structured way of working, this comes from my training as a designer, so my favourite part of the process is the end when I can see all the different strings of my work come together into one piece, it’s then that all the colour research, paper testing, experimentation with pattern and the finding the right density of ink when printing that it all becomes real transformed from an idea to something physical I can hold in my hands.

Who or what are your biggest influences?

Russian Constructivism and the school of Bauhaus have had a major impact in how I conceive design and art. The work of Lyubov Popova, László Moholy Nagy, Joseph and Anni Albers created a huge impression on me when I was studying design. Simplicity and geometrical abstraction have been the golden rules for all of my career.

In terms of artists that use screen printing, it is impossible to deny the influence of Warhol. Especially his use of color. Seeing Shadows (1978-1979) piece for the first time, made me rethink about how I could go further in my research on combining movement and abstraction as my main subject of visual exploration.

Lately I’ve been very inspired by the work of Teresita Fernandez from a conceptual point of view, her work redefines the traditional notion of landscapes and history. Also the work of Charlotte Johannesson. Last month, I discovered her work and it was a real “coup de coeur”. It was inspiring to see how her work flowed from the traditional handmade craft language of weaving to the “new world” of pixels and coding of computer graphics.

Have you had any responses to your work that were particularly memorable, or not what you expected?

One of my favorite things about working with an abstract and geometrical language is that it creates a space where the viewer has room to interpret the work and insert their own narrative. They can go on their own journey from one image to another and arrive at a completely different destination to the one I had imagined ; that, for me, is the interesting thing about any act of creation; each person takes away something different depending on their own experience.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

Never confuse coriander with parsley!