Sabrina Montiel-Soto
A ghost story for adults
Just as Alice [of Wonderland] crossed through the ivory gates of her fantasy, Sabrina Montiel-Soto invites us to venture into an enchanting poetic world based on one sole idea: “When we dream, we live twice. ” Using objects from our daily life as others play with childhood images, this Venezuelan artist’s works are not at all “ready-made,” but rather true metaphysical stories that call on people to reflect, explore and (re-)discover their meaning.
A ghost story for adults
“We must point out the divide, the symptomatic and disruptive element, and what’s out of place in order to see what transforms organization into tension.”
Joseph L. Koerner
It is perhaps not by chance that Sabrina Montiel-Soto remains first and foremost a filmmaker, that is, an artist using time and narration, as well as bearing a certain personal complex apprehension. By mixing reality with imagination, her works always include a series of recollections. Whether in collages, films or sets, the same sense of anachronism and staging is seen in her creations. Sometimes from a spectator’s point of view (disproportionate from the outside), other times based on the work itself (the juxtaposition of several universes or the transformation of daily objects or already-existing paintings), her artistic portfolio makes Horace’s famous expression - Ut pictura poesis - appear very relevant indeed.
For example, Memorias de un invierno frío (Memories of a cold winter) shows a game of chess normally associated with our past. In addition to the photographic image – deemed perfect for memory – Sabrina Montiel-Soto adds a small collection of test tubes, each containing a fragment of the entire photograph. However, another dynamic element also remains visible, specifically, the presence of a small character belonging neither to the world of image (photography) nor objects (test tubes), but rather to what lies in-between (imagination), with the supposedly real image of photography elevated to our fantasy’s most bizarre delirium.
In seeking reflections (in plastic form) as offered by art historian Abby Warburg based on the fragmented temporality of images , Sabrina Montiel-Soto’s works force us to think differently about how we deal with the visible. She also encourages us to let go of disagreements so that we may re-establish the energetic center of a story without words. In conclusion, we recall Walter Benjamin, who once said, “Image is when the past briefly meets the present and forms a crystal ball.”
Frédéric-Charles Baitinger
Sabrina Montiel-Soto is a venzuelian artist who lives in Paris.
www.calvacreation.mine.nuGalerie Hardcore Art Contemporary Space
Soul without face
du 5 Août 2010 au 7 Mars 2010
3326 N. Miami Ave, Miami, FL
www.hardcoreartmiami.com