Women Who Push Ahead —Three Argentinian Artists You Must Meet

The art industry hasn’t always given the feminine gender the leading role they deserve. As a matter of fact, women who would start their artistic career were labelled as “unoriginal” and accused of copying men’s work. Their creations wouldn’t be seen anywhere; they were unknown and ignored. The passage of time has had an impact, and the situation has started to change gradually. More and more women have hit the scene, have been recognised, and positioned themselves. And, even though there’s still a long way to go (an idea that is reinforced every March 8th), great feminine talents have emerged, making their art known. Argentina is no exception: iconic women are getting started in the country with the End of the World, marking a milestone. Nowadays, thousands of artistic women decide to exhibit their art in expositions, museums, fairs, and galleries, leaving behind all those years of silence.

Works with recycled materials, living paints, and illustrations taking you to another universe… These are some of the creative rising stars of this new generation for a great deal of inspiration on the International Women’s Day. 

Elisa Insúa —the Visual Artist Who Literarily Shines with Her Works

“Being born with creativity and artistic sensitivity is a necessary but insufficient condition to devote oneself to art. If these innate skills aren’t complemented with work, training, reading, learning, and determination, I believe the work of art will remain incomplete and won’t meet its potential,” assures one of the local artists who makes quite an impression. The mix between her studies (on Business Economy) and the imperative need for creating have given rise to a unique style with recycled elements as raw material. Elisa Insúa managed to fuse the economy concepts learnt at the university with an authentic social expression and nearly philosophical reflections. Independent of the elements used, everything that is disposed suits the purpose, from candy wrappers and technology to bottles and other containers. 

Currently, her works are displayed in several venues and her career is in full swing. Even though Insúa is one of the huge amounts of evidence proving that Argentina is packed with wonderful artistic women, there are still biases and stereotypes that stand in the way. She says, “Men are considered good and serious artists by default, same as when people are innocent until the opposite is proved. With women, it is just the other way around: they and their works are prejudged as naïve, weak, and shallow until we prove the opposite is true. It is exhausting to constantly stand up for our work against these kinds of prejudice.” 

“A word of advice for those who want to get started in this little world? Before thinking about exhibitions, devote all your energy to nourish and delve into your art. Don’t get intimidated by the closed and snobbish art circles. Share your process with other artists. In my experience, that’s the most rewarding exchange,” she concluded.

Martina Elisa –Living Art and Human Experience Connections 

Martina is convinced she was born an artist. She’s been painting for as long as he can remember, and upon learning from an endless number of teachers and perfecting several techniques, she has found her own recipe. She claims, “I didn’t want to follow a particular pattern to be an artist. I wanted to give vent to everything inside myself in the most authentic way. If there was something that could hinder that process, I would keep it aside.”

She was travelling around Italy at the age of 18 when she had an epiphany, a divine revelation. As she was contemplating the impressive works at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, a whirlwind of ideas, images, and certainties took hold of her to never let her go. Martina tells us that “it was as if I could hear a voice telling me to go for it. I felt a surge of peace. Art took over my body, and I understood it wasn’t a hobby, but a way of living.”

Now, with 27 years of age, she defines herself as a visual artist and entrepreneur. She runs an art school for children and youngsters, and works on living art, in which people are part of the paintings. She aims at generating submersible experiences to take the audience to different universes.

“I like getting the audience involved. I think it is very important to make people feel part of the work through living art and write or share what I feel,” Martina points out. The great challenge is to turn that fleeting art into something permanent. So, she finds assistance in photography, where she records forever all her intellectual and creative intervention. She published her first book some years ago, a collection of her works captured on paper where she could materialise her art.

Martina is constantly trying out things, and that’s precisely the advice she gives to artistic women. “I’d recommend them to test things a lot, try out new techniques, dare to execute ideas regardless of how weird they seem. I think it’s essential to create different ways of finding your signature and own language. Change brings about growth. I’d also recommend them to be patient and to trust. This is a path full of adventures, learning, and efforts. You won’t regret it!”

Victoria Amor and her Contagious Creativity 

“Making a living from art is beautiful. If I can get a little cheesy, I’d say it’s a rollercoaster brimmed with colours.” And we let her get cheesy because despite the times of crisis (especially when people put pressure on us and demand a lot), she knows there’s no other way of living. Only by or drawing something just because, something inside her ignites, telling her that this is exactly her path.

As she talks, she draws. If she sees something, she imagines its painting. This is Vicky. Muralist, illustrator, graphic designer… She is currently selling drawing and painting online courses on her website, and she works for brands that want to add an artistic touch to their offer, from a product intervention to live art on events. She says, “Each project is a different universe, and that keeps me very active and eager to create.”

By creating, she has fun, learns, and helps others overcome that dreaded creative block with a special drawing method focused on enjoying the process without minding the results. Victoria claims, “What I always try to do and teach is creating from intuition and freedom.” We are all creative somehow. Discovering (or not) our call for art is part of our paths. She assures, “Many people turn to art looking for an anchor, and they discover a talent and a way of living.”

It hasn’t always been as it is now, but Vicky can confirm that the artistic world is much more egalitarian than others, though she still has to face unfair situations. She points out, “We have to still keep working on this to drive change. Independent of the difficulty, she recommends women who want to be artists to dare go for what they love without hesitation. “If you’re doing something you feel passionate about, or you just enjoy, you won’t get easily disheartened, and you will keep trying,” she concludes.