September | 2023 | luciana mariano

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First painting:

“ …and they loved music.”

60×90 – acrylics on linen – 2023

The rupture. It can be a war, a divorce, a deception or any reason to relocate. A new job, a new love, a new life. They loved music and they had a story prior the rupture but it no longer works, no longer serves its purpose; it is time leave the wreckage behind and embark on a journey of reconstruction. Heart and objects may be broken. It is never easy to leave what once was your safe ground but it is necessary to take chances towards a new beginning, towards any possibility of being whole again.

*This work and collection are available for acquisition at Maksla XO Gallery, in Riga, Latvia.

https://makslaxogalerija.lv

¹This collection consists in 12 pieces, made during a 2 months residency at Serlachius Museum Residency in February-March 2023. All pieces are connected and they are a result of a research and deeper thought about what it means to leave, depart, immigrate, flee, relocate, move, change, restart. If you are leaving your known home and world behind, for any reason, you may experience some of this feelings. Maybe you are relocating for a new job or for love; perhaps you are moving because of a new opportunity, a loss of job, a divorce; or if your country is at war, if you need to escape for better life conditions, or any reason at all…some of this feelings meet everyone. Leaving, for any given reason, deploys a chain of feelings that are common for most situations. It is a kind of mourning, first the overwhelmed feeling of loss, then the various steps that makes you cope with the change, then acceptance and understanding, then adaptation and peace. Not necessarily all those feelings but surely some of them. And it is a very particular experience with common perceptions and feelings. I hope you can identify some of them, but specially I hope you can, after a harsh storm, find yourself again and feel that you found home.

It is interesting how different times leaves different impressions, even for the same places. Eleven years ago, during a difficult time of my life, I was in Berlin for a few days and I remember it as a grey, cold and intimidating place. This time, in much happier circumstances, I felt it like a completely different city, vibrant, peaceful, interesting, colorful and welcoming place.

I found it quite amusing to see how we reflect our inner feelings into what we find outside of us. The place is the same but the perception has changed 180° around, depending on the conditions you bring yourself into the that experience. Our inner state is like a mirror, or perhaps a magnifier, reflecting and amplifying whatever is already predominant in us, into the environments we find ourselves in. Places have no power to be anything else than what we make them to be.

When we are in a better place inside, all places outside will seem more welcoming and pleasant.

This time I feel that brought my very best to Berlin and in return, Berlin showed me its true colors. For 5 days I was surrounded by beautiful, lovely, creative, brilliant, kind people, art, places, situations. Every walk brought me peace and happiness. Every encounter gave me more hope and kindness. Every day had a new surprise to wonder upon. I made new friends, met true ones, had good laughs, felt welcome, comfortable, safe.

Thank you Berlin for wonderful days at Berlin Art Week and Positions Art Fair Berlin. My heart felt gratitude to all the collectors that supported our dreams and arts, the lovely visitors that gave me feedback on my work and all the amazing people involved in making this event as wonderful as it indeed is.

Gallery MakslaXO, Ilze Žeivate, Biruta Aurina, fellow artists Zane Žeivate (and David), Klavs Loris and Paulis Liepa, you were the light of my days there and your company made my experience the best it could ever be.

Paldies, Kiitos, Tak, Obrigada, Thank you all!!!

Danke schön Berlin!