Samuel Sarmiento (Venezuela/Aruba)
Artist Statement: I moved to Aruba eight years ago and began to develop dimensional works in a Caribbean setting, understanding the tropical scenery and aboriginal/indigenous symbols, inquiring about social and geographical problems in the region, with a special interest in exploring local folk tales as a means for sharing knowledge, habits, and culture.
Samuel believes in the use of painting as a narrative tool, focusing on themes such as femininity, motherhood, decolonization, the Caribbean art context, migration, identity, exile and other symbols. Writers like Jorge Luis Borges, Chinua Achebe and Chimamanda Ngozi have all had an influence on Samuel’s past as well as current work.
More specifically, he is interested in focusing on how many Caribbean stories, myths, and legends can be interpreted not as something colorful or superficial but as immaterial heritage of humanity. Metaphors, hyperboles and figures of speech are some of the narrative elements used to tell complex situations, which are often hidden through very simple stories.
Bio: Samuel Sarmiento was born in Venezuela in 1987. He started his artistic practice as a self taught creator. In 2010, he completed a Master’s degree in Artistic Production at the Polytechnic University of Valencia in Spain. He has participated in various exhibitions, both individually and collectively in Aruba, Germany, Spain, Panama, Venezuela, Argentina and China. Samuel lives and works in Aruba.