By Peter Gee
Walking into Pakina’s studio was like entering into a Jungian therapy session. There is shelving everywhere: tables, a desk, pedestals, and work surfaces line the perimeter. Islands are formed by works in progress meander throughout, creating labyrinths or mazes. Found objects, construction materials, seemingly random parts and pieces line those surfaces, and in some cases are stacked high upon each other. Objects are placed with intention, each object a work of art within itself. These objects, or archetypes, seem to see you before you see them. They instantly recognize the purpose of your visit. Volumes of written works are there– notebooks creating images of past masters. Some have been compiled by her, a significant collection of the classics. Stacks of lidded boxes contain collage materials, sacred texts, and sheets printed with languages yet to be deciphered. And as one who creates, she remembers and can retrieve what she needs when it is needed.
Pakina dedicates time to spend in her studio. Some have commented a little too much time, but one always underestimates the relationship art has with time. There is a pillow on the floor for the dogs, but family members seem to know better. We are invited in and it is a warm welcome. She offers us black coffee and some home-made gluten free, sugar free muffins. There is space in between our words. Mostly we shuffle around in silence as she presents to us the pieces that have been completed and some works still in progress. Although an illustrator, watercolorist, word smith, and bookmaker, the work she will offer in her upcoming show are her mixed-media dioramas that she calls «boxes”, and a number of oil paintings. She is excited about some pairings of boxes with corresponding paintings. The dialog that takes place between her paintings and boxes is significant and not redundant. Her imagery is perception transitioning from three-dimensional reality into two. There seems to be a sort of alchemy that takes place, manifesting of dreams, or a transmission.
I ask her about her influences. She rattles off a thread of names, the list of surrealists that read like the publications of Rizzoli International: Miro, Magritte, De Chirico, and some lesser known names like Carrington, and Delvaux. Her awakening came when she discovered the sculptures of Joseph Cornell. Cornell’s boxes «spoke to her.» She also cites being strongly influenced by her teachers, Dennis Pohl and Maria Papadimitrius, whom she describes as two of the good ones. Her development as an artist excelled after her teens and into her adult years after meeting a number of like-minded kindred spirits that she holds in her orbit to this day. Her teacher and mentor whom she currently works closely with, Edgar Soberon, continues to guide her as a creative force, and in refinement of technique.
One would think that her commitment to the arts and art making has led to a rigorous pace of production and exhibiting, but in Pakina’s case it has not. In fact, with the exception of a few cameo performances around town, its been 17 years since she’s shown any of her work.
What you can expect to take away from her show is an experience. The artist does not expect one to experience a literal narrative, or at least one that’s been dictated by her. She believes that art unfolds, meaning surrenders itself, and understanding is participatory.
She prepares for the studio with a daily yoga zoom at the break of dawn, with her guru halfway across the world in India. Each breath trains the mind, each asana prepares the body. The collective unconscious informs her actions in the studio. The holy OM resonating between the walls of her skull. «It is an exploration,» she says. In her paintings, the viewer is expected to make sense of symbols. And in the case of her box sculptures, one has to physically move around them, peer within spaces, around obstacles. «Sometimes time remains beyond grasp. Sometimes its easier to dream away the hours».
Collective Exhibition
“SIGNIFICANCE 70 Years of Art in San Miguel de Allende»
Sunday to Thursday, 10:00 am-5:00 pm
Instituto Allende, Hamilton O’Neal Gallery
Ancha de San Antonio 20
Free
Collective Exhibition
“SIGNIFICANCE 70 Years of Art in San Miguel de Allende»
Sunday to Thursday, 10:00 am-5:00 pm
Instituto Allende, Hamilton O’Neal Gallery
Ancha de San Antonio 20
Free
