Dreamily real
The artist Juliana Gutiérrez Wiest creates multimedia artworks, skillfully navigating the divide between digital and analog. Both realms coexist harmoniously in her creations. Her inspiration springs from her dreams, free from external influences, following the unconscious. Thus, the artist keeps a dream journal, jotting down her memories upon waking, using them later as fuel for her art. Juliana Gutiérrez Wiest, originally from Colombia but residing in Germany for nine years, is always interested in her own transcultural identity, feeling both countries as home and engaging with both cultures accordingly. On one hand, she exhibits a European-influenced art historical preference for the old masters and their precision; on the other hand, Colombian patterns and colors seep into her work, blending naturalism and surrealism, resulting in a precision that follows freedom, akin to precision without rules. In her work, sculpture and human representation, in their classical perfection, represent Europe, while patterns and gold work represent Colombia. Additionally, doors, portals, and stairs dominate her work, symbolizing the transition from reality to dream. Lightness and melancholy coexist seamlessly.
Juliana Gutiérrez Wiest paints her canvases on aluminum, serving as a reflective surface for multimedia effects. Here lies the fusion of digital and analog. While the painted image itself evokes classical paintings, the aluminum distorts perspectives compared to a white background, reflecting light differently depending on the angle—creating dream-like, blurred impressions. Moreover, the paintings react to sounds, changing colors, allowing light to pass through, evolving with the surrounding noise level. The viewer can also influence the painting through sounds, becoming part of the creative process. The magical power of the dream world directly transfers to the viewer, leaving them in awe and dreaming of the complexity of the different layers in Juliana Gutiérrez Wiest's work. The artist encourages embracing one's own dreams and surrendering to the fascination of this fantasy-laden moment.
