They are an initiative aimed at promoting artistic and artisanal creation and research, the exchange of ideas, aesthetic concepts and multicultural connection between creators from different geographies.
Retornar a lo que fue, sacar del foso la fe (Returning to what was, pulling faith out of the pit) is an exhibition that values the connections between artisanal knowledge (pottery, basketry, and weaving) and their resonances in contemporary times through the work of Francisca Sosa López, a Venezuelan multidisciplinary artist residing in London.
The research, work, and trajectory of Francisca Sosa López allow for the development of this project in which craftsmanship and contemporaneity converge, as her residency on Margarita Island offered the artist the opportunity to reconnect with Venezuela for an extended period of time and learn from the traditions of the artisans in the region. Building on the historical debate that took place during the Renaissance regarding the differences or boundaries between the figures of the craftsman and the artist, one of the main objectives of the residency was to – always respecting the heritage and knowledge passed down by the island’s artisans – expand or resignify from a contemporary perspective the use and possibilities of traditional materials and objects. To this end, the artist investigated the daily habits of the artisans, the history and function of each artisanal manifestation, as well as the intentionality and inherent function of each of the objects she was interested in. In this process, she conceived and built a set of four installative works using various objects originating from island craftsmanship. For each of the installations designed for this exhibition, the artist subverts or disrupts the utilitarian function of the original object, creating new configurations in which a dialogue or tension is established between the traditional and the contemporary. Additionally, Francisca Sosa López leaves her mark by intervening materially and/ or pictorially in the final construction of some of the objects used, paying tribute to the act of weaving.
The work and artistic practice of Francisca Sosa López reflects and explores her connection with home, with the country, with its traditions. The experience of migration and her condition as a woman are also vertical themes that intersect with her original inquiries.
Her work is built from drawing, painting, assemblage, collage, and textiles to create pieces of an installative nature that gradually acquire corporeality, often through formats that play with volume and three-dimensionality. It is a work of abstract nature with deep contemporary echoes both in its narrative and in its technical realization.