Retomando las publicaciones regulares del blog, una nueva entrevista de Shirley Rebuffo, gracias a la cual nos internamos en la vida y obra de la artista uruguaya Nicole Vanderhoeght, con un extenso reportaje que aborda en profundidad su vida y obra, acompañado de profusa documentación fotográfica y una nutrida muestra de sus creaciones.
El artículo va en dos partes: la primera con texto en español e imágenes de la artista y su entorno, y la segunda en inglés con obras de diversos períodos creativos.
Resuming the regular publications of the blog, a new interview by Shirley Rebuffo, thanks to which we delve into the life and work of Uruguayan artist Nicole Vanderhoeght, with an extensive report that deals in depth with her life and work, accompanied by profuse photographic documentation and a large selection of her creations.
The article is in two parts: the first one with text in Spanish and images of the artist and her environment, and the second in English with works from different creative periods.
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Nicole Vanderhoeght Debrouwer
(San Carlos, Maldonado, Uruguay, 1964-)
"Nicole Vanderhoeght con su obra en Cedartes / With Her Works at Cedartes", 2018
Nicole Vanderhoeght has revitalized the concept of constructive ceramics from a personal point of view that has solid antecedents in the few experiences that were gestated through the guidelines wielded by the Catalan master Josep Collell in the Torres-García Workshop in the mid-twentieth century. The intention of creating, always, the unique piece, reinforces the old criterion of exalting the true numen of the object.
Artist and teacher Ignacio Olmedo commented on Nicole's career, noting that "from the very beginning, she has produced a coherent work, richly inventive and profuse experimentation. Preamble of a development without pauses, imbued with authentic aesthetic values".
Her art -vase, object, sculpture and mural-, is "a micro-universe where the happy and inspired proportions transmit balance and beauty, resorting to a wide range of resources: from the delicate, feminine and subtle, to the forceful rusticity". Therefore: "such ceramics, while nourished by the imprint of Torres García, bring sapience to personal terms as never done before."
Her creations have extrapolated from the realm of clay to incur -also- in other different disciplines. One of them is the "tissus" or murals made from fragments of sewn fabric. This other way of seeing is sometimes enhanced with iron sculpture, to form a subtle amalgam.
Nicole's work is appreciated by collectors all over the world and has two great monumental references in her "Constructive Tree" (made around a large white quartz stone) and the "Spiral of Life"; a mobile metallic construction located in the seaside resort of La Barra de Maldonado (Uruguay).
This introduction corresponds to the catalog of the exhibition "Lights and Shadows" (2014).
Obras en el estudio / Works in the Studio. Foto / Photo: Shirley Rebuffo.
Daughter of Belgian parents, she was born on May 26, 1964 in San Carlos, Department of Maldonado, Uruguay. The family settled in the rural town of "Los Ceibos". When she was seven years old, the whole family returned to Belgium where she discovered her first aptitude for art and decoration. In 1979 the family returned to Uruguay. In 1982 she married Ricardo Pickenhayn Mazzoni, who initiated her in ceramics and then in Constructive Art, sponsored by the friendship and support of Day Mán Antúnez first and Edgardo Ribeiro later, both co-founders of the Torres-García Workshop (TTG).
In 1983, together with her husband, she began the construction of today's "Ceramics and Structured Art Workshop", whose educational work is carried out in the San Carlos countryside. She has been teaching there uninterruptedly until today, training dozens of students, some of whom, including career plastic artists, have even traveled from the capital and abroad to attend the courses.
"Mural calado con luz optocinética / Openwork Mural With Optokinetic Light", 2016
In 1984, 1987 and 1991, her three children were born, Gabriel, Federico and Veronica, who inherited the artistic gifts of their parents. In addition to her founding activity in the workshop, between 1992 and 2002, she worked as a teacher in the rural school where, in front of several groups of children, she was able to conquer numerous prizes of children's art at a national level; always from a constructive point of view.
Nicole's works, vase, mural and sculpture, escape from the canons of the usual ceramics to manifest themselves with a diaphanous and pure style.
Her actions trace a new horizon of surrealist images that, in turn, are supported by the solidity of the structure.
She has exhibited periodically in multiple exhibitions both in the capital and in the interior of the country.
In 1996 she showed her work together with important figures such as Edgardo Ribeiro, José Luis "Tola" Invernizzi, Pedro Gava, Manolo Lima, Ignacio Olmedo, Pedro Peralta, and others, on the occasion of integrating the plastic artists of Maldonado in the space of the "National Book Fair". In 1998 she is invited to exhibit at the Mazzoni Museum in Maldonado as part of the tributes to the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Joaquín Torres-García. In 1999, she participates in the exhibition of resident artists of the department with constructivist formation or orientation and in September of the same year, she is part of the inaugural exhibition of the "Taller de la Galería Latina" of Punta del Este where several disciples of Master Edgardo Ribeiro take part. Simultaneously, she exhibits with Pickenhayn at the Meliá Hotel and shortly after, she takes part in two important events with members of the "Escuela del Sur".
"Máscaras esgrafiadas / Sgraffito Masks", 2015
During the summer of 2000, after inaugurating the first of the halls that will make up the CEDARTES complex, she shows her work along with the work of masters of Universal Constructive Art at the "Sur" Gallery. She is a protagonist in the art spaces of Susana Aramayo and the Ciudadela Gallery. And since the summer of 2003, her works are part of the permanent exhibition at the Serena Hotel in Punta del Este.
In May 2006 she travels to Europe where, besides being linked to the artistic movement of the land of her parents (Belgium), she visits the most important museums and galleries of Paris, Madrid and Barcelona.
In each of these art centers, she left a record of her career and established links with emblematic galleries, such as the Sala Dalmau in Barcelona and the Nery Mariño Gallery in Paris, which at the time hosted figures such as Picasso and Torres-García himself.
In that period she inaugurated, sharing space with her husband, a retrospective exhibition at the Casa de la Cultura de Maldonado and another individual exhibition at the Museo Mazzoni. In 2007 she took part, with Pickenhayn, in the ambitious project "Mantra-Art" in which the construction proposal for the large halls of the Mantra Hotel in Punta del Este was carried out. In January 2008, the couple accepted the challenge posed by an important mining company in Artigas to create art from the special quartz geodes, the so-called "Amethystos" project. This peculiar aesthetic experiment involves the realization of 23 unique sculptures that merge creativity with nature.
"Dama reclinada con trama sutil / Reclining Lady With Subtle Weave", 2004
In the summer of 2014 she exhibited at the Galería de las Misiones in José Ignacio (Maldonado) along with several members of the "Escuela del Sur". Then she showed her work with, with Pickenhayn, in the exhibition "Lights and Shadows" in Montevideo. At the same time, she formed the idea of taking structured art to the generous spaces of the emblematic Juanicó Winery. She also exhibited at the Laguna del Diario Art Space of Sylvia Poorth and Peter Bronner. She also showed her work at the Posada de los Pájaros in La Barra (where her large sculpture "Espiral de vida" was placed) and in several solo and group exhibitions in Maldonado.
In 2022 she participated in the stand of the Gurvich Foundation of "Este Arte" in Punta del Este. She also exhibits in the complex "Las Taperas del Valle Eden" and continues her participation in the galleries "Sur" and "de Las Misiones" as well as in Lilia Muñiz's space in the Peninsula.
"Vasija ahusada con engobe esgrafiado / Tapered vessel With Sgraffito Slipware", 2013
In her wide trajectory, Nicole develops a new structural conception that combines analysis with her peculiar spontaneous and gestural style. Her incessant creative zeal led her to devise different ways of looking at art, including ceramics, painting and her "tissus" (compositions, murals and sculptures, in sewn fabric) of very special workmanship. These creations escape from the traditional "collages" to enter into the purest essence of the feminine craft of cutting and sewing.
Vanderhoeght's work has aroused the interest of local and international collectors, and her work can be found in several countries, such as Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, France, England, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg and the United States. Her work is currently part of the collection of the "Legado del TTG (Legacy of Torres García Workshop)" at the Gurvich Foundation.
Interview by Shirley Rebuffo
Origins
Shirley Rebuffo: Tell us a little about your comings and goings in the hustle and bustle of life.
Nicole Vanderhoeght: I was born on May 26, 1964 in the city of San Carlos, department of Maldonado, Uruguay. This story began after the war, when my parents decided to leave their native Belgium to settle here and live a life farther away from the turmoil and the aftermath of that conflict that affected Europe so much. Both went through hard times during the occupation in their beloved city.
My family decided to come to Uruguay when they discovered this warm and quiet area, which is also close to the sea. They settled in the countryside, in the rural area of Los Ceibos. There, my parents were to create a self-sustaining farm. Everything was made at home: bread, butter, sweets and other exquisite products that came from the product of our work. We had farm animals and a small dairy that represented the main income. A vegetable garden was always well stocked, as well as the fruit trees that were the source of a delicious jelly that became famous in the region. From my point of view, it was a very happy experience.
"Pareja Constructiva / Constructive Couple", 2010
"Escultura vasiforme / Glass-Shaped Scultpure", 2020
Instances of life
SR: Do you think your life, somewhat removed from the big cities, has influenced the way you make your art?
NV: Living in the countryside makes you appreciate everything in a deeper way. Your senses are sharpened when you observe nature every day, recreating its cycles. The cold and the heat, the winds, the movement of the clouds; the animals, the plants and the insects. There the air is stronger; you step on the earth, touch the water and the wood of the trees. That is the reality, nothing was missing.
I remember playing barefoot in the mud and forming little people who were somehow my family. Sitting there, waiting for the next rain that would return them, like clay, to the riverbed.
At nightfall the lanterns made up for the lack of electricity. I see myself playing with small pieces of cloth and wool under that dim light in my mother's aromatic kitchen. Those were dreamy times and atmospheres.
I was here in Uruguay until I was seven years old.
All those experiences were marked inside me and undoubtedly emerge today, somehow, expressed as shapes, textures and colors, in my ceramic and textile works.
"Dama blanca con tragaluz / White Lady With Skylight", 2017
"Dama blanca disociada / Dissociated White Lady", 2014
Going and coming back
SR: Tell us about the comings and goings from Uruguay to Belgium.
NV: In the early seventies, first my brothers and then the rest of the family went back to Belgium. On the emblematic "Giulio Cesare" liner of the "C" line we traveled to that magical Barcelona that was the birthplace of Gaudi and Torres-Garcia, and then from there by train to Brussels.
In the blink of an eye my life changed. The wonderful trip, the discovery of the city, with its large and beautiful buildings, busy avenues, subways, modern vehicles, never seen by me and the privilege of being present in what many call "first world".
Now we could have electric lights, washing machines and color TV. Food would no longer "come out" of the ground; you only had to go to the modern supermarket where you could find already processed poultry, bottled dairy products and canned vegetables. Then I also discovered the wonderful Belgian chocolates!
Suddenly, a brand new house and a modern automobile replaced our humble rural dwelling and the daily cart pulled by our mare "Ñata".
At first, despite the comforts, the change was difficult, but I quickly adapted. I had the opportunity to get to know other countries, with their incredible landscapes, cities, customs and huge museums, such as the African museum in Tervuren, the Flemish town where we settled. From its showcases, I was attracted by the aesthetics and that primitive symbolism of the south that would soon be identified with my own American homeland.
In 1979, after all this great experience, my parents and I returned to Uruguay.
"Vasija planiforme / Flat-Shaped Vessel", 2009
Again the transplant and its complications. I had built there a new life of study, surprises and friends, expressing myself between the French language and the complex Dutch.
We returned to a country that was just beginning to wake up from the sorrows of the dictatorship. The city of San Carlos still maintained that small-town profile of countrymen and horses tied to the tethering post.
Once again, we settled in the countryside; but this time my parents bought a piece of land that happened to be adjacent to the property where the man who would later become my husband, Ricardo Pickenhayn, lived. Then romance was born. We got married in 1982 and from then on our shared history began.
Constructive Family Life
SR: In the beginning, what were the difficulties of the trade and what memories do you have of your teachers?
NV: In the beginning it all started in our house "Micromundo (Microworld)" where we soon added the workshop that we built entirely with Ricardo.
We had three children, also with plastic skills. That same love for art linked us with the teachers and their respective families; Day Mán Antúnez and his wife Adelina, with their children Lahiri and Yuktéswar, and Edgardo Ribeiro with Paquita and his beloved brother Alceu.
Day Mán always insisted on metaphysics and on never straying from the purest. "Sometimes the work is born from an instinct and sometimes from a more meditative process," he would say. Edgardo was more rational; he put our "feet on the ground" and above all taught us to "see".
Day Mán and later Ribeiro instilled in us a deep respect for the craft. The logic of their teachings was liberating. They frequently repeated to us concepts that came from Torres-García's own preaching: "You have to put your heart into art, but your mind and hands must act like a simple bricklayer who builds his work with skill and wisdom". They also emphasized that: "to really learn, you must always experiment and take risks".
"Dama blanca / White Lady" (Colección / Collection Matías Doro)
SR: You have shared an artistic life, what were those beginnings like?
NV: With Ricardo we shared everything. From the austerity of starting from scratch to the hope of finding a destiny. We started together as ceramists, but then the materials each of us used changed. However, even though the trades vary, we draw from the same source. We are very different, but we have a common line. The interesting thing is that there is still a long way to discover.
As far as Constructive Universalism is concerned, the idea is to build a bridge between form and content. Many think that constructivism is another "ism" but this philosophy goes much further. It is a process in constant development. We, as continuators of this school, have the responsibility to make these teachings vibrate.
After such a long time, I have a lot of works and I hope I can continue intensely in this activity. I have plenty of ideas and desire.
SR: Are you excited to see the finished work? Why does the piece have a geometry that is reasoned from the constructive point of view and sometimes intermingles the indigenous? I think that achieving those finishes of engobe and opacity, in the final result, must be exciting.
NV: Many emotions. The fact of building is always a challenge. First the form, which can give life to an object, a sculpture or the development of a mural. In the case of decoration, it is never a simple ornament. Constructivism teaches you that each line or color is part of the whole.
That is why the geometry that you see in my works is directly related to the structure that supports the whole of its elements.
In both my ceramic and textile works I start with an idea to develop and along the way there can be changes within that construction.
I have ceramic works that are associated to what I do with fabrics and at the same time I conceive textile murals that end up inspiring my activity in clay.
"Vasija 'Pompeyana' / 'Pompeyan' Vessel", 1995
These two expressions are the center of my work, so they are related and take ideas from one to the other.
When you are with your piece in the intimacy of the workshop, the experience is like that of two people talking to each other. A dialogue is established in communion. I like that duality of putting into the work what I feel or what it asks of me: in its own way, each form demands something.
That counterpoint of "you and me" is the moment I like the most.
"Mural constructivo superrealista / Super-realistic Constructive Mural", 2021
I try to make every realization a harmony with a pleasant reading and at the same time not just randomly thrown lines. There is a study and a lot of work behind each intuitive idea.
On the other hand, making a sculpture is somewhat more complex, although it is all part of the same thing.
"Escultura calada / Fretwork Sculpture", 2014 - "Primera dama / First Lady", 2008 (Pruznan)
Nature and Inspiring Proportions
SR: Does nature inspire you?
NV: Nature is a fundamental part of what I express in many of my works. In itself, clay is a living being that transforms itself and seeks its own meaning. At the same time, traces of entities that surround me appear in the drawing that I am tracing.
But beyond this super-realistic experience, I need the structure as a support to form a well-made plot.
The golden compass is a universal instrument that I use frequently and allows me to understand and explore the structure and measure that exists in all things. It establishes a harmonic composition and serves to reason that this entire cosmos is marked by a "Divine Proportion".
Ultimately, each work starts from the same thing because all creativity is based on the support of a geometric construction. The three basic shapes: circle, square and triangle are the protagonists and in different ways they form symbolic languages. If we remove or add a part to each one, it becomes another and therefore such geometry (pure or intertwined) is devising new designs.
After so many years creating works, I find that happily there is no one like the other. Fortunately, inventiveness does not end. There are infinite possibilities. An inexhaustible spring. When I work on a sculpture like, for example, one of my "ladies" (that's what I call them) they are singular characters in their curves, movements and dissociations.
"Escultura femenina constructiva / Constructive Female Sculpture", 2021
"Vasija con engobe esgrafiado / Vessel With Sgraffito Slipware", 2012
Each figure always starts from something purer. For example, if I cut a cube by its golden section and move its parts, new facets appear. This is called: "dissociated". Dissociated is a subtle improvement of Constructive Universalism. Its creator was Day Mán Antúnez, our first mentor, who developed, at the beginning of the 60's, a singular exercise that Torres-García had outlined, improving in this way, the distribution of lines in the plane. In 1985 we began to apply this architecture to volume, supervised by the master himself, and we transferred it to sculpture, relief murals and objects. We also transmitted these advances to our students.
Materials
As far as ceramics is concerned, its main element is clay, which can contain different constitutions that translate into textures and colors. These properties become interesting at the moment of elaborating murals, sculptures or vessels. All clay is potentially usable, but it must be intervened to achieve a balance between "plastics and antiplastics".
Plasticity is given by its own condition of being, in its chemical form, a "hydrated alumina silicate". This universal material is combined with other elements - to varying degrees and to varying extents - that give strength to this flexibility.
There is a lot of work behind the potter's workshop. It is necessary to process hundreds of kilos of clay, let it rest for months, dose the drying in plaster sheets and finally knead it.
"Escultura vasiforme con engobe esgrafiado / Glass-Shaped Scultpure With Sgraffito Slipware", 2013
There is also the treatment of oxides and glazes, but especially slipware.
The slipware is an ancestral covering technique that achieves a perfect amalgam (interior-exterior). It is the diluted clay itself, which is in tune with the metallic oxides, thus giving a natural finish. Our American Indians were masters in its use, achieving a true imprint that extends from north to south.
In my case, I make the pieces entirely by hand from their base and the techniques are various. But I emphasize the conclusion of the slipware, which, according to an ancient tradition, is applied on the piece while it is still wet and then burnished to give it its characteristic satin sheen. Beyond our pre-Columbian America, slipware was the universal technique that united the main peoples of Antiquity, in Africa, Asia and the cradle of the Mediterranean.
En el estudio de Nicole / At Nicole's Studio. Foto / Photo: Shirley Rebuffo
I never tire of seeing the great continental work of our indigenous ancestors: creators of marvelous things. These spiritual peoples had their intrinsic art. Even today we can still read the content of their creations, which are still valid and we can learn from their workmanship and religiosity.
All ceramic work involves patience and dedication. When I am at it, I enter another plane that motivates my whole being and hours can pass despite the fatigue.
"Guerrero / Warrior", cerámica / ceramic, 1997
SR: Where do you get your favorite clay from? How do you feel when a piece comes out of the kiln? Have you had any surprises?
NV: Over the years, more than three decades, I have created pieces with different types of clays, many of which we extract here in Maldonado ourselves, or have them brought from deposits near the Yi River in Durazno.
Another important factor in the ceramic process is the firing; the moment when that substance that was once rock, dust and mud -by means of heat- manages to become a new crystalline, sonorous and lasting entity.
In the workshop we have made multiple experiences. From the initial ones, in sawdust ovens, to wood burning. Also exotic practices such as Raku (a technique that comes from the Far East). But it is more comfortable for us to use electric devices, which allow a more sustainable control in our daily tasks. They are safe, burn evenly and give us more time to make the most of our cooking time.
"Mural de personajes con textura / Textured Character Mural", 2007
We also have a wood-fired oven of the Roman type. From there, beautiful and unequaled works of art were created, but their complexity requires several hours of attention.
The ritual of the "burning" is an alchemical mystery. The works must first be dried and need to "breathe" before they are placed in the kiln. Then, the door closes in its last process. There is much expectation. The mystique begins.
"Mural en relieve / Mural in Relief", 2015
Sometimes there are surprises and the risk is always there. Colors and textures may vary depending on the temperature, but everything takes place within an expected range.
Finally the hour of the encounter arrives. That piece that you venerate and to which you have dedicated so much time reappears. Now, already baked, it will project the ideas and all your spirit as a letter to the future.
"Personaje con diseño / Character With Design", 2016
En el estudio de Nicole / At Nicole's Studio. Foto / Photo: Shirley Rebuffo
Teaching
SR: Working as a teacher, what do you think is your contribution as an artist who models his practice?
NV: Ceramics has represented the most important thing in our lives. Because, beyond our own work and research as artists, we have developed it as a teaching activity.
It all began after the wedding, when we came to this Microworld where we constituted the epicenter of our actions. At the beginning of the 80's we started together this teaching work that extended from the workshop to the rural schools where I worked honorarily for a long period. Ricardo, for his part, did it in a curricular way in the San Carlos high school and in other institutions where he also gave lectures and conferences.
"Vaso plano con formas en armonía / Flat Glass With Harmonious Shapes", 2013
Because of our constructivist training that, as I mentioned, we inherited from our teachers Day Mán Antúnez and Edgardo Ribeiro and because of the link with the "Condorhuasi" Foundation of the beloved ceramologist Jorge Fernández Chiti, in Buenos Aires, we set ourselves the challenge of creating a special "Ceramic and Constructive Art Workshop". A singular research center, unique in its kind and with more than forty years of uninterrupted trajectory.
The fundamental premise of the workshop has always been to "open doors" so that everyone can find their own way. At the same time, it is essential to teach which are the guidelines to achieve a goal because, when applying these concepts, is when we really involve our whole being.
My first educational experiences were with children; in that magical moment of their formation. Then in the workshop we always share the teachings with the students. We work with ambitious challenges that involve the study of the structure and its application in space. The goal is always to be original and to get everyone to contribute their own ideas. A new work is born in the depths of the spirit, sometimes it is difficult to develop it, but with hard work and dedication it is achieved.
"Mural Primavera / Spring Mural", 2008
Textiles
SR: How did your work with textiles begin?
NV: In another order, but together with my passion for clay art, I developed another aesthetic manifestation: the one that refers to my work with fabrics.
The curiosity comes from my childhood when I used to create costumes and scenographies for my dolls. At home there was a "Singer" treadle sewing machine. My mother made clothes for us and my older sister taught me to sew, with the excuse that I made dresses to decorate that intimate childish world. An aunt brought me samples of fabric from a factory in Brussels with which I managed to make a particular collection of miniature costumes, which I exchanged with my friends for other benefits. In the future I would also continue in the "métier" but as another way to pamper my children.
"Mural 'tissú' abstracto / Abstract 'Tissu' Mural", 2020
During my adolescence I always dreamed of Decoration. Not with the simple concept of "ornament" but with the intention of seeing objects working in perfect harmony. This aspiration evolved and evolved over time. In the case of fabrics, for example, today I use them with a deeper and more constructive aesthetic. I leave them their "bangs", the "wear of time" and their texture, as well as I see weaves, tone and color with another maturity.
The rediscovery of this other activity inspired me to see art in new dimensions - on the one hand, similar - but, on the other hand, very different from Ceramics.
Each change of material quickens the mind and awakens the soul. Fabrics are the perfect complement to clay. Being at the antipodes, they have that lightness and smoothness that makes them special. Whether in the form of collage or sewn by hand or machine, I intervene their wefts and colors in the form of a particular architecture.
My creations have that imprint that is born from an often invisible idea.
Gestural drawings that are "threaded" in the form of signs expressing a revealing and personal language.
En el estudio de Nicole / At Nicole's Studio. Foto / Photo: Shirley Rebuffo
SR: How do you think time influences or can influence your creations?
NV: In general, in every discipline I practice, I insist that "one should not hurry". Time is another abstract measure that is as valid as form or emptiness.
One must respect the stages and let the work speak its own language. In art, every "thing" starts from a synthesis. From an image, such as a volumetric sign, an object or a sculpture, it is summarized in the same basic problem.
To all this, we add the symbology that we deploy throughout a lifetime. Abstract geometry that is transformed into imaginary "characters".
Much of it comes from the gesture; that imprint that we carry inside and that everyone manifests in different ways.
Art is in what you live and in what you dream. These brief successions that are presented day by day shaped my transit as an artist. Life was channeling me, from my experiences as a child with clay in the countryside, then the first textiles to my drawings at the Mater Dei School in Brussels. Back in Uruguay, I made my first ceramic piece, with Ricardo, sitting on the edge of the well at home (1982), a small, simple but very significant vase.
I married very young and we were discovering together this path that today is present. A few years later (1985) under the guidance of Day Mán I began a learning journey with constructive-dissociated drawing, which I later transferred to a small piece with engobe that today I also value as a special object.
"Vasija con símbolos en franjas de color / Vessel With Symbols in Colored Stripes", 2013
SR: What projects do you have pending?
NV: Since we started this crusade in pursuit of art, we have made countless exhibitions. From the ones we promoted at CEDARTES (our Center for the Development of Structured Art) to individual exhibitions in Uruguay, Brazil and France. In addition to the countless collective exhibitions of the Workshop, together with our students, we participated in several important meetings in the company of the great Masters of the TTG.
In my particular case I exhibited individually several times in different places besides including my work in galleries such as "Sur" and "Las Misiones".
We were involved in the aesthetics of several hotel developments such as "Las Dunas" (2003) "Serena" (2004) Mantra (2007) Posada de los Pájaros (2010) and "Las Taperas" (2021). Also in "Casa Pluna" (2010) and "Establecimiento Juanicó" (2014). Since 2022 we are part of the collection of works of the Gurvich Foundation where we participate in events such as "Este Arte Uruguay" (2022).
As for the future, years ago I conceived some large sculptures such as the "Spiral of Life" (which is in the "Posada de los pájaros" in "La Barra") or the "Symbolic Tree" steel work that surrounds a huge white quartz. But I still have several projects for monumental works (which I call sculptures "to walk") that are still waiting in the drawer of the sketches. Also new ideas of fusion between ceramics and other materials that I hope to do at some point.
"Nicole construyendo una escultura vasiforme / Building a Glass-Shaped Scultpure", 2022
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About mentioned artists:
Ricardo Pickenhayn Mazzoni: Guía en Movimiento
Edgardo Ribeiro: [Recolección (CXLVI-1)]
Joaquín Torres-García:
[Uruguayos (XII)], [Aniversarios (XXVII)], [Arte perdido (X)], [Hermenegildo Sábat (Caricatura, Pintura)], [Recolección (CXLVI-1)], [Ventanas (III)]
José Luis "Tola" Invernizzi: [Ventanas (I)]
Pedro Gava: Contexto
Héctor Ignacio Gonçalvez Olmedo: Wikipedia
Pedro "Pichín" Pablo Peralta:
[Uruguayos (XXIII)], [Uruguayos (XXIV)], [Rinocerontes (LVII)], [Uruguayos (XXVI)], [Asonancias (XXVII)]
José Gurvich (Zusmanas Gurvicius): [Uruguayos IV], [Ventanas (III)]
Jorge Fernández Chiti: Website
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Thanks a lot, Nicole, for the Interview and images.
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Shirley Rebuffo has a Degree in Library Science and a Degree in Archivology by the Universitary School of Library and Related Sciences (Montevideo, Uruguay), Technician in Museology by the Faculty of Humanities and Sciences (Anthropology option), Object, Symbol and Spance in Curatorship Applied Museology and Social Museology - Concepts, Technics and Practice (Campo Grande, Brazil), Coaching (Campo Grande, Brazil), Strategic Planning (Campo Grande, Brazil), and Art and Painting student under Master Eduardo Espino.