The awards ceremony took place at the SUBTE on December 11, and as part of the prize, the artist will undertake a three-month residency at the Cité internationale des artsin Paris.
The goal of the residency is to explore new artistic techniques, meet artists, and visit leading French institutions in the art world:
“The venue offers workshops, studios, and exhibition spaces. Every week, there is an Open Studio event where artists showcase their work and exchange ideas. Beyond visiting museums and local artists, the key is spending three months collaborating with other creators, which enriches the creative process,” the artist explained.
Previously, as one of the finalists, she had the opportunity to exhibit her work at SUBTE starting on November 26, to host a visit from the competition jury at her studio, and to participate in the cross-disciplinary seminar “Toolbox: Self-Management for Visual Artists,” led by Mag. Carolina Rodríguez Pino. This event is held in collaboration with theNational Institute of Visual Arts.
About Foreign Matter
Her work is a series of ceramic and glass sculptures that explores the complexities of identity and personal perception:
“What I wanted to do was reflect on various issues surrounding sexuality and the construction of identities that deviate from what is considered ‘normal.’ I wanted to explore that process of recognizing oneself as different, strange, or out of the ordinary,” Cortés explained.
The sculptures explore the tension between attraction and repulsion, the pleasant and the unpleasant, evoking in the viewer a sense of beauty that is, at the same time, unsettling.
I often draw on my own personal experiences from that confusing time when I was growing up, particularly regarding attraction and how it also made me feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Through his work, he sought to give a voice to those who have experienced the process of seeing themselves as something unpleasant, monstrous, or terrifying.
When asked about the experience of exhibiting such a sensitive subject, Silvina commented that, although "the artwork and the artist are often intertwined, " she feels a sense of detachment from her work when she sees it on display to the public.
She also said that sharing her work with the public makes her feel more a part of the "community":
At first, I felt that the piece was too personal to share, but then I realized that sharing it has a healing effect.
With a vibrant color palette encompassing shades of blue, violet, pink, green, black, red, and white, the pieces evoked textures reminiscent of living beings, body parts, or misshapen organisms. She also worked with fluids and textures, drawing inspiration from damaged skin or rashes.
“The idea is that these are pieces with a lot of detail and texture, which somehow draw the viewer in. There’s something that invites you to look—the sparkles, the shapes—but at the same time, they evoke a somewhat unpleasant feeling,” the artist explained.