Brazilian Artist Gets ‘Metaphysical’ in Chicago Show

Brazilian artist Diana Motta has taken the tools of art to physicalize the metaphysical, bringing her abstractionist paintings to Chicago’s art scene in an exhibit set to open on June 15 at STASIAS Gallery, 44 East Cedar Street in the city’s Gold Coast neighborhood. Exploring spirituality as shaped through the religious traditions of Kabbalah, Motta has taken a studied approach to her chosen themes, having recently earned a Master of Fine Art, Painting and Drawing degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). That achievement builds upon additional degrees from New York University and the Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing in Brazil.

Motta describes “miraculous stories” in her life that have completely changed her awareness and perspective, having had a life-changing experience in Thailand just before a natural disaster. Since then, she has tried to capture feelings of awe, surprise and revelation in her work.

Originally a figurative painter, Motta shifted her practice towards abstraction as she began exploring the relationship between body and spirit. Transparency and translucency of color in her work reference the thin veil between the physical body and the spiritual world, she says. Motta often uses casein, a paint mixture deriving from milk powder and pigment mixed in her studio, as a manifestation of her ideas. Kabbalists’ teachings say that milk and the nutrients required to produce it come from blood. For Motta, the milk powder represents the energy of the mother, whose milk brings to life the spirit of nurturing. In that vein, she has also discovered a natural sensuality in her work.

She finds that playing with material and technique creates a juxtaposition between spirituality and sensuality, noting how the body is a vehicle to the spiritual.

A portion of the proceeds from this show will benefit the Chicago-based WINGS Program, an organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of domestic violence.

STASIAS

773–766–2550

44 E. Cedar St., Chicago, 60611

Image: Diana Motta in front of “Spika, The Fixed Star” (left) and “Lonely Figure”

Description Text: Angel Abcede