Monica Gonzalez
Bio
Assumption. 1952. Visual artist and teacher. She has a degree in English and American Civil Language from UNA. She took Painting and Printmaking courses with Livio Abramo, workshops and Art Seminars with Olga Blinder, as well as with Luis Felipe Noé, Vivian Guggenheim, Rubens Gershmann and others.
She has exhibited periodically since 1985 in our country, as well as in Denmark, France, Germany and at the Biennials of Sao Paulo, Venice, Havana, Lima, Findelmundo, Mercosur, etc.
Her work appears in numerous Latin American publications, arts events, and national and international cultural centers. She is a teacher at ISA-FADA. Martel Painting Prize, 1990; Pre-Selection for the Jacinto Rivero de Faro Prize for the Arts, 2002, First Mention Sculpture at the Oscar Trinidad Grand Prize. Her work is part of the collections of the Paraguayan Museum of Contemporary Art, in the Collectors' Residence in Zurich, Switzerland; Ulm, Germany; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Spain, France, USA, Singapore, Japan and others.
Statement
The events, whether local or global, that confront, excite, or astonish me mobilize me to create primarily conceptual artwork. I am interested in education, women and their roles, water, migration, language, insecurity, care, as well as the profound little things in life.
Water appears in my conceptual work in the series "Mujer pilar malabarista" (1994, Sao Paulo Biennial) as part of the eternal cycle of washing.
In addition to works involving ice, the most iconic is "Arroyito," (stream) which was featured in various biennials during the 1990s and 2000s.
Each idea prompts a specific material choice; in this case, 2,000 water-filled glasses arranged at different heights in a sinuous design on the floor.
I collect objects, manufacture them, record sounds, perform, photograph, use paint and ink. Water is also expressed in the series "Acuífero Guaraní Fósil" (2005/2023), reflecting on the fragile existence of this freshwater reserve, which extends into Paraguay. It involves sculptures made of earth, fire, glass, and time.
For Pinta Miami 2023, the "Acuífero Guaraní" is installed to remind us of walking barefoot in a crystalline stream from childhood. I dedicate a part of my life to education, fostering cultural and personal growth. I have been involved in and led numerous cultural and professional projects. I gladly received the Master of Art distinction in 2019.
Additional information
La Artista busca con su obra, el rescate de la memoria sobre la conservación del agua sobre todo en el territorio chaqueño en los márgenes del Rio Pilcomayo.
