Estefania Valls Urquijo - Myths

(Venice, Italy) Last year, Estefania Valls Urquijo told me her dream was to have her work displayed in Venice during Carnevale. She said she had created cats with wings, which immediately caught my attention, since I am very interested in cats, especially if they have wings.

True to her vision, somehow Estefania has transported her mystical sculptures from Guatemala to Venice and into the Primo Piano Venice Art Gallery. Perhaps the pagan cats with wings flew here on their own, and the silver boats with mythical mastheads sailed through the air. However she did it, Valls Urquijo is one of the most exciting artists to arrive in La Serenissima in a long time.

The creatures she captures live in another world. She allows them to visit earth through the tips of her fingers, solidifying their essence into ceramic and precious metals. They gaze into a mirror at their own reflection, trying to understand who and where they are. Estefania says, "Sometimes they scare me, and I wonder where they came from, these unique entities with so much strength and animation."

Estefania describes her process:

As a historical reference, my sculptures represent a fusion of elements, forms and symbols. Most utilize the zoomorphic form, exemplifying a single animal but with the strength of several different animals, to be worshiped in pagan ceremonies.

Working in glazed ceramic, I usually create a series of up to seven or eight small and one or two large pieces, using the same mold but different enamels and finishes, later adding hair, feathers, fabrics, glass and metal. Most pieces have a unique base, specifically designed to match the sculpture.

Small sculptures are made through a plaster mold, obtained from a plasticine original. Each piece is cast in liquid clay, remaining hollow inside, first baked in bisque, then baked again with the enamel. All enamels are processed at low temperatures.

Large sculptures are made with an iron skeleton covered with ceramic pieces, handmade on the skeleton itself, obtaining the final form as the pieces are added. 

Estefenia has also created some silvery ships that can whisk your spirit off on a journey through space and time to a dimension where no harm exists; the mastheads mounted on the front of the boats keep you safe. (In the photo at the very top of the page, you can see Estefenia Valls Urquijo looking into the eyes of one of her mastheads.)

I was amazed at how much work was involved in each sculpture, and the fine quality of the elements she used, from the precious metals to the glass. I imagined Estefenia laboring over the glass, the metal bases and frames, molding the ceramics, sprinkling on feathers and pressing on fabrics, and it seemed overwhelming. She told me she loves to work, and if she had her way, that all she would do was work. 

In my estimation, she is priced too low for all the talent, imagination, material and effort she has put into her art (not to mention the transportation:), and I strongly recommend visiting the Primo Piano Venice Art Gallery and making an investment in the artist, Estefenia Valls Urquijo.

Ciao from Venice,
Cat
Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog