Luca Curci talks with Marta Carceller during the 15th Edition of VENICE INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR 2022, at Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello.

The artist was born in Barcelona in 1977 and is a mother of 4 children. At the moment, the family lives in Barcelona, the city that has seen her grow up and where the small studio where she works is. Marta’s academic training has revolved around music and she graduated in psychology, which has helped her to internalize, explore and identify her own emotions, in order to capture them on a canvas. She is a self-taught painter; As a young girl, began to be interested in this form of art, but couldn’t dedicate herself intensely because of her other occupations. Little by little she started stealing time from other things and opted for what filled her the most. As a result of the tragic death of her husband and father of her 4 children, the artist began to focus even more on this exciting world and realized that what he had encouraged her to do was what fulfilled her and what she needed; to stop the world and learn from herself,  from her own mistakes and to take the time to explore her own self. Marta’s full dedication began as a result of the confinement due to the Covid pandemic; The incident gave her motivation and meaning, confinement gave her the time, and her children and Alex, her life partner, gave her encouragement to continue on this adventure. Since then, the painter has been recognized in different Contemporary Art Awards and her works have appeared in different International Contemporary Art magazines. She has also exhibited in different countries such as Spain, France, England, Greece, Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, The United States and Colombia to name a few.

The subjects of Marta’s works are varied, from landscapes to portraits. She tries to reproduce everything that makes her feel, that makes her vibrate in a special way and that makes her feel alive. She is passionate about making the everyday beautiful. The art of painting allows her to experiment with different materials and textures, but basically, she uses acrylic paint and canvas as support. She knows how she will start work, but she doesn’t know how it is going to finish. For her, the act of creating has a clear starting point, but as she progresses and delves deeper into it, it becomes a truly exciting and extremely enriching adventure. Learning and discovery is constant. As the writer, Jordi Sierra i Fabra says, “Art is measured by what you feel when doing it, not by what you get paid for doing it”. This is why the painter is satisfied to be able to transmit to her work viewers a small part of what she feels in this intimate act of creating when painting surrounds her.

Luca Curci – What’s your background? What is the experience that has influenced your work the most?
Marta Carceller – Each one of us is unique, therefore, two people may have lived similar situations, but as they have also lived different ones, it makes everyone feel, think and respond in a different way. Although there is a burden that underlies every experience, what influences us most in the way we see the world are life experiences. It is difficult to break down the experiences and determine which of them has influenced me more in my work. Since I was a child, I have always lived surrounded by music and art. My parents encouraged my curiosity towards art and always provided the means for me to express myself through visual arts and music. They also fostered my creativity, encouraging me to find many original solutions to everyday problems, and they taught me to face difficulties with energy and enthusiasm. I was a quiet and curious child, which favoured my ability to observe. I think that is where I got my interest and taste for these disciplines. During my adolescence, I continued to nourish myself with what life offered me in that sense, and I began to feel the need to create. My academic training revolved around music. I also graduated in psychology, which has helped me to internalize, explore and identify my emotions, therefore I am able to capture them on canvas. The birth of my four children increased my sensitivity and empathy. I experienced very strong feelings. Motherhood taught me a unique feeling: a mixture of a need to protect, coupled with the empathy to understand all their signals, to feel that I could do anything to make sure the baby was well. The tragic death of my husband caused me to turn even more into this exciting world of art and to realize that what he encouraged me to do was what really fulfilled me and what I needed; to stop the world to learn about myself, to learn from my own mistakes and to take the time to explore my own inner self. My full dedication to art came during the Covid-19 pandemic confinement. The situation gave me motivation and meaning. The lockdown also gave me time, my children and Alex, my life partner, give me the encouragement to keep going on this adventure.

LC – Which subject are you working on?
MC – I am currently working on ideas based on situations and emotions experienced during the summer holiday. It is important for me that the subject in which I work makes me feel something. If I do not feel the urge to create, I feel that I should not create.

LC – How is your creative process?
MC – My first thought comes from emotion, from what an image or situation awakens in me. It is then that I have the need and the impulse to create what makes me vibrate. From this point, almost immediately, I visualize how the work will look like. Once I have allowed myself to be flooded with feelings, I move on to a thought, to inspiration, and I pay attention to what will differentiate my work from the reality I want to capture; I pay attention to colors, volumes, plots, in the aesthetics. I wish to finish the artwork for it to be contemplated by the spectator, who will decode it and will flow thoughts, emotions and knowledge.

LC – Are your artworks focused on a specific theme?
MC – The subjects of my works are varied, from landscapes to portraits. I try to reproduce everything that makes me feel, that makes me vibrate in a special way, that makes me feel alive. I am passionate about making the everyday beautiful.

LC – How is being an artist nowadays?
MC – I guess every artist can say different things about it. Some, more than others, will have met certain difficulties, or maybe not; some might have found the path they were looking for, others not…In my experience, being an artist is not easy. The commitment and effort I put in do not always pay off, and it is very difficult to make your way in this field. Sometimes I have had the feeling that the only one who believes in your work is yourself, and that the unique interest of those who show some predilection for it, do it for their own economic benefit. Another difficulty that I face as an artist is the desensitization of today’s society (broadly speaking). The rush, the importance of “doing things”, the noise, the demands, the competitiveness are not good friends of quality time, of the time to observe, of the time to feel. Therefore, not enough value is given to creativity, nor to what a work of art can make us feel and think. Art adds, contributes, and makes us see the world differently but for this we need time and sensitivity. Despite all the difficulties, it is worthwhile to keep fighting to live doing what you want to do; and this is a real luxury.

LC – What is the message linked to the artwork you have shown in this event? How is it connected to the theme of the entire exhibition? Can you explain something about the artworks you have in our exhibition?
MC – In this exhibition, I participated with two artworks: “Going down” and “Bohemian less one”. In both artworks, the feeling of loneliness, of non-communication and the feeling of the breaking of affective bonds can be felt. In addition, the figure that appears in “Going down” is in action, it is seeking to meet again with warm feelings, but chooses the wrong path (going down), moving farther and farther away from its intentions. From the mannequins that appear in “Bohemian less one” we can “read” the feeling that sometimes we experience when, even being accompanied and surrounded by people, we feel lonely.

LC – What do you think about the organization of our event? Would you suggest a collaboration with us? What do you think about our services? What are your suggestions about our services? Is there something more we can provide to artists?
MC – In my case, ITSLIQUID Group showed interest in my works and contacted me directly. Once we exchanged the first e-mails and after showing my interest to participate in this exhibition, everything was very easy. Communication with them through e-mails was always very fast and fluid. They were very clear when formulating the conditions and asking for the necessary documentation. They made a good diffusion of the event and prepared with exquisiteness the inauguration gala. The space, the light and the presentation of the artworks were unbeatable. They kept me informed at all times about the course of the exhibition. The only thing I missed, although it is not very significant, is some accreditation for having participated in the exhibition. In general, I can say that ITSLIQUID Group works in a very professional way.