I am a Chilean
I am part of the third
generation of an artist family. Art has always been present in my life. My grandfather is a
great painter, but I cannot say that I was influenced or that I learned from
him because there is not too much that we shared.
This black and white photo
was taken the first time I met my grandfather. We are in front of the Museum of
Fine Arts in Santiago de Chile. He was a professor there when the art school
was in the Museum before the Pinochet dictatorship. This is a historical
picture -- I remember this day. We went inside of the Museum and my mom and
grandpa started to remember some histories. In the past he had his studio in
the top of this palace, and when my mom was a little girl, she used to spend a lot
of time there. She said that this Museum was like her house and she was the
princess of this place. So, I started to feel like a princes too.
 |
| With my Grandfather Eduardo Martinez Bonati in1982 |
My grandmother, Carmen
Garcia Rodriguez, was also an artist. Unfortunately, shortly before I was born
she was killed. Her spirit has been always present in our family and her
artwork has been preserved as a treasure. I identify with her a lot.
My mother is a ceramic
sculptor, an autodidact multi-faceted artist. She lives in a very special way.
She is the kind of person that makes art like a normal ritual of life, making
art with the simple things of every day, like her way of presenting food on
the table, or arranging her altar, or even her in the clothes she chooses to wear. She is always looking
for beauty and esthetic harmony around her, living her life in a very romantic
and fanciful way. She was my first “art school”.
 |
| Weaving with my beautiful mother, Elisa Martinez Garcia |
Our family got split up when the Pinochet dictatorship was in Chile in 1973. Most of the family on my mother’s side moved
to Europe. We stayed in Chile and I grew up in those dangerous and chaotic
times when cultural development was punished. There was a
lot of censorship and limitation for artists because all artists were
suspected of being subversive. It was natural to be a rebel in these circumstances, especially if you have a critical view of society and have chosen to be an artist as an option for life.
My adolescence was
very conflictive. I was in crisis with the adult world because of the fake
behavior of the adult people, including my parents. During those times seniors disappointed
me and I didn't trust anyone. My friends, artists, and party mates became my
family and I started to disconnect from mine and be more on my own. The
street was like my second home. I liked to frequent underground clandestine places filled with ambience and freaky people (I still do). For me, at that time, they were more authentic. With them, I felt more affinity and containment. In my
teens I was far from what society expects of a good young girl. I felt very
marginal, unaccepted, undervalued and unloved.
In the same way that
you can make art out of trash, broken tiles, or unexpected materials, making
something good out of something useless… art as philosophy of life helped me to
survive those difficult moments and turn them in something better. Bad
experiences, pain, suffering, loneliness, fears, confusion, depression, all
kind of bad feelings can be released through artistic experience. In my case,
art has been a great therapy that saved me in many moments, allowing me to recycle emotions, helping me to find my center and in a concrete way led me to
realize not to waste my life and instead be useful.
 |
| Ceramic Semi-Reliefs in Raku |
Since I was born I have
never lived in the same house for more than 4 years. With my mom we constantly
moved from one place to another. With so many changes of neighborhoods and
schools, I got used to leaving people along the way and moving on. When I left
my mother’s house at age 19 I continued this gypsy lifestyle. Even though I always
wanted to find a place where I could settle down, that did not happen. Now I am
41 years old and I have lived in 26 houses.
Actually I am living
in Germany the past 2 - 1/2 years, with my husband and my 3 kids. And what does
this have to do with my art? I mention this to point out that the constancy of making art is the more stable thing I have had throughout my life. To be an artist is the only thing that I always knew for sure about me.
Over my life I have
been so many different versions of myself. Even if some of these styles have
nothing to do with each other, all these facets were an authentic reflection of
the moment that I was living. Some periods were very masculine, others were very
feminine, and some periods I was fanatical about exercise. Other times were more
mystical and spiritual.
Everything is part of constantly
discovering who I am. Unraveling Pandora’s box inside of me is sometimes full
of contradictions. But the one part of my identity that doesn’t change is my passion
for making art. This is the biggest motivation that I have and is something
essential in my growing and my validation as a person.
Two of the principal
energies that move my life are art and love. Art is the expression of my
spirit, what I try to give… and love is the necessity of my heart, what I try
to get. It is not just the money I get paid for my work, it is also the love
and gratitude I receive from people. That is food for my ego, but mainly, it is love
healing my heart.
Because of my work I learned to be proud of the life that I have chosen to live. Art makes me brave as a warrior, fighting for my dreams. So many times I have seen how conservative or normal
people have looked down on me because they believe that art is a hobby, not a
real profession, and it is even worse if you are a woman. But, as Madonna said in one of
her recent speeches, “All these people who have despised me, all those who have
put obstacles in my way, they have, in fact, empowered me more and made me
stronger”.
 |
| Totem, Pirque, Chile, 2009 |
When I started to
study art I didn’t know what specialty to choose, because I liked them all. I liked
to paint, to make sculptures and try all different kind of materials. I finally
chose ceramics as my specialty, because I could integrate volumetric forms and
color at the same time. My work has always been very experimental. I have
created sculptures, semi-reliefs in Raku, musical instruments in ceramic and
different kind of decorative objects. Sometimes I do small things full of
little meticulous detail and other times I make artwork in large formats, like the Totem and my expansive mosaic mural projects.
I like to take on challenges
in my work and see what comes out when I make something new. Also,
when I like a technique, I try to explore it and use all the possibilities it gives me, trying to improve my skills in every new creation. In artwork,
there is always something more to learn and put into practice.
 |
| My great aunt, Paulina Concha Bonati, visiting the mosaic mural work in a metro station in Puente Alto, Chile |
It was the year 2011
when I began to do mosaic and I fell in love with the technique. Making mosaic
murals in the streets I discovered a new passion for making public art. This
experience opened a new dimension of possibilities, giving a turn in my growth as an artist. In 2012 I was commissioned to lead a very large mosaic project,
covering 83 pillars and 4 stations at the metro train that crosses Puente Alto.
More than 100 people participated
in the creation of 4.000 square meters of that mosaic. It was an extraordinary
experience – an intensive work commitment and learning taking nearly two years non-stop, with a lot of gratification after the work was completed.
Mosaics bring benefits
that you see over a long period of time. Street art takes part of the identity
of a place and inspires the surrounding community. Art integrates and connects
people. I really like and enjoy all the phases of community projects. The
interaction between artists -- learning from each other – the friendship that
are built and the union of forces is indescribable. Teamwork is fundamental for
make big things and it is a big life-learning lesson too.
I am very thankful for all the opportunities that life has given me as an artist, and for all the
wonderful people that I have worked with from my homeland as well as all around
the world. Genial artists, lovely friends, fantastic people that have contributed
to make great things happen, have all been part of this creative journey I am living.
 |
| Mosaic Team, Puente Alto, Chile 2012 |
Over the last 4 years
some of my fantasy projects have materialized and I have achieved much more
than I ever expected. This gives me a lot of energy to keep going and strengthens
my belief in my creative intuition. My self-esteem and confidence continues to
grow like a beautiful lotus flower emerging from the darkness of the past
difficult years. And this magical transformation inside of me is still going on. I
am continually learning to trust more in the divine force that moves us all.
Thanks to art I have
learned to love me and love life more. Being an artist is a big blessing, it
gives me hope and strength and desire to share this love with the rest of the
world. Because of this I am so fascinated with doing public art. Art for everybody, art that can transform, improve spaces and provoke a a
myriad of feelings in people.
 |
| Mosaic mural in homage to the Mapuche Community in Puente Alto, Chile |
Life is beautiful,
wonderful, and so very generous. Nature is amazing and our human capacities are
infinite. Every living being is unique. We are the creators of our lives and
our histories, and as free creators we can convert our reality in a positive
way, every one of us potentially has this power.
I like to think that I
have chosen a good mission because bringing art to the streets is necessary. I think
that this world, in the insane times that we are living, needs an urgent change
of vision to see life in another way. We need to open our hearts and consciences and stop the destruction. Maybe I am too naive, but I really believe
that art can help to change the world for the better.
 |
| During the making of the mosaic mural Carnival Nymph the wonderful carnival dancers of San Nicolás visited us, Aruba, 2016 |
This is the final post
of 52 Artists in 52 Weeks for 2016. Thank you for reading and sharing Isidora’s
story today. To connect with her and see videos and photos of her work, please
visit the following links.
Videos:
Articles:
Architektur Fachmagazin ( pages 8 and 10) :
Mosaic Art Now 2012 :
Mosaic Art Now 2013 :
Revista Capital, Chile:
Facebook:
Email:
