enEnglisch
Manuela Battafarano
VITA
As the third daughter of a southern Italian and a German, I was born in Cologne, where I also grew up, completed my secondary education and studied at the University of Cologne. I discovered my passion for painting as a child. In 1999, I sold my works for the first time and participated in various exhibitions in Germany and southern Italy.
At the age of 31, I moved to beautiful Switzerland. I live and work in Winterthur as a freelance artist and art therapist in my own studio. Since 2022, I have been a member of the newly founded artists' collective PINK RIDER and since 2024 a member of the art association SALZ IN DER SUPPE.
I work mainly in mixed media, and coffee plays a special role in my studio – it is not only drunk, but also finds its way into my paintings. I use various materials such as paper, ink, marble powder and lime putty. I mostly paint abstract works, but figurative motifs also find their way onto my canvas.
I draw my inspiration from nature, old buildings and my own photographs, which transform my memories and feelings into images. The beginning of a new picture usually arises from the random flow of paint. This randomness is used, built upon, sometimes destroyed again, and then reshaped. This gives my works a multitude of different layers. Torn surfaces give a glimpse of what lies beneath and invite the viewer to discover what is hidden.
MARY LOUISE, 2023 Mischtechnik 120 cm x 100 cm Aus Kaffee, Marmormehl und abgetragenen Strukturen entstand hier ein abstraktes Piratenschiff, das sich wie aus Nebel und Erinnerung formt.
Die Inspiration begann in Irland, bei einem rostigen Kahn namens Mary Louise. Beim Malen verwandelte sich diese Erinnerung in ein Piratenschiff, das nun von Mary, der historischen Piratin Mary Read, gesegelt wird.
Eine Frau, die sich mit Mut und Kampfgeschick gegen die Wellen stemmt, die ihr eigenes Steuer hält, die sich nicht beugen lässt.
Mary Louise steht nun stellvertretend für all jene Frauen, die kämpfen müssen: für ihre Rechte, ihre Freiheit, ihre Stimme. Als ein Symbol für Mut, Widerstandskraft und die Weigerung, unsichtbar zu sein.