Sandra Vásquez de la Horra
August 28 – October 10, 2015
For her first exhibition in Texas Sandra Vásquez de la Horra presented a series of recent drawings featuring strange figures enacting nightmarish behavior. Born in Chile, now living in Berlin, the artist is recognized for her captivating and unnerving images which explore psychological aspects of identity, religion, sex and myth. Using pencil, she draws on different types of found paper which she then dips in wax, resulting in mysterious, seductive works that simultaneously intrigue and provoke fear in the imagination of viewers.
Vásquez de la Horra’s drawings often explore her South American origins within a European context, blending stories and elements of language that point to her interests in poetry, literature, philosophy and anthropology. The dark, expressive energy of her lines is reminiscent of Goya, and her subjects share an affinity with the explorations of 19th century Decadent artists and later Surrealists. Sometimes her drawings include their titles, written in large letters in Spanish, English or German, as an integral part of the imagery, revealing her interests in the aesthetics of visual poetry and typography.
In May 2015 Vásquez de la Horra completed a short residency at the School of Art at TCU. During her time in Fort Worth the artist completed two new drawings, which were presented as sculptures in the exhibition. Here the artist challenged accepted ideas about the flatness of drawing and invited viewers to think differently about the medium. Inspired by her Fort Worth surroundings, one of the drawings featured the landscape of the Trinity River against the backdrop of the large Texas sky, populated by voluminous spring-time clouds.
Installation images by Devon Nowlin
