M-resident: Angyvir Padilla five months guest at M

M-resident

Angyvir Padilla five months guest at M

A new artist moved into the M-Atelier in March this year. Angyvir Padilla spent five months there quietly applying herself to research and new work. You will be able to see the results at a showcase event at M this autumn.

I know what it's like to keep two places in your head at once

Angyvir Padilla

M-resident

Angyvir Padilla: ‘I came to Belgium from Venezuela thirteen years ago to study at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels. That was followed by a master's degree in sculpture at La Cambre and a master's degree in fine arts at Luca School of Arts.’

‘My practice is multidisciplinary, and I prefer to work with materials that reflect the passing of time such as wax, clay, plaster... For example, one of my installations consisted of a transparent floor of wax tiles on an underlay of sand. Before the opening, it looked virgin and untouched. But every time people entered the building, they had to step across that floor and only then could they see the video that was part of the installation. So they themselves became part of the work. Moreover, their movements caused the floor to break. I found that fascinating. I often work with video and sound, and in recent years I have been doing more and more performances. These always tie in with the content of my installations.’

The search for a home is an important theme in your work. A place you describe as a space that is both familiar and elusive.

‘I have lived in Belgium for 13 years now. I didn't plan to stay that long, but the situation in Venezuela became increasingly complex. Belgium has become my second home, but I did have to leave my friends and family behind in my country. So I know what it feels like to have two places in your head at once - to feel the emotions associated with being a migrant. I want to reflect that personal experience in a universal way in my work.’

‘I like using metaphors to convey those ideas. For example, some of my sculptures are inspired by gravity - a metaphor for feeling out of place, and the fear of falling.’

M-resident Angyvir Padilla — © Sylvia Cappellari voor M Leuven

Grandmother's flowers

You mentioned that you have been doing more and more performances in recent years. Why is that?

‘Performances have gradually become an important part of my work. I feel that I add an extra layer to my installations with them. Something dynamic and transient that people can take home with them. Creating an emotional connection with the audience also helps. That is very important to me because of the personal background of my work. You bridge language and cultural barriers with it, I have found, which is useful in a multilingual country like Belgium (laughs).’

We are having this conversation at a time when your residency at M is still going on. What does it mean to you?

‘It's a great opportunity I can spend five months focusing on what I want for myself, without the obligation to deliver work. For me, this is important because a lot of thinking and research precedes the making itself. It is not easy to explain the making process, because my work has a very conceptual side, but at the same time it is also full of emotions. M has allowed me time and space to step back and focus on that part of my creative process.’

M-resident Angyvir Padilla in the M-atelier — Silvia Cappellari for M Leuven

Can you say something about the direction in which you are thinking?

‘Yes, I would like to make sculptural works within an installation, based on my own archive of photos and videos from my homeland. To transform something that is deeply personal into a work of art that makes the viewers take different paths in their minds.’

‘Last year, I made a couple of works revolving around my mother, and now I'm thinking about putting my grandmother at the centre. Her house has always been a second home for me. She had lots of plants, and I see a metaphor in that too. A flower thrives as long as it is rooted. But if you pick it, you remove it away from its place and it wilts in a few days. Those are the ideas I'm reflecting on now.’

‘This residency at M gives me space to think, but I also literally get a lot of space because the studio is huge. That gives me the chance to set up work and invite people to come and look at them. Fairly unique - when you make installations, it's not easy to show them outside the exhibition space.’

‘And then there's the possibility at the end of the residency to turn all that thinking into an exhibition. So far, everything has been fantastic - M is supporting me in every possible way. This residency is an important step in my practice.’