Photography © Lionel Rault
Mysterious, elegant but also powerful, the image of the woman is a deep passion for artist Florina Aledo-Perez. Originally from Romania, she combines feminine sentimentality with multicultural inspiration. Following the symbols, her floral universe and the women of the world, she lets us glimpse the mysterious facets of our daily life. It is in the fold of Tarot cards that the artist presents his exhibition “Beyond the Cards” in this interview. An exhibition to discover in the Fort Superposition Gallery from July 30 to August 29.
Your solo show is called “Beyond the Cards”. Why were you interested in the universe of Tarot?
Last year I delved a bit into the old books at my parents’ house and landed on my mother’s Tarot deck. When I opened it out of pure curiosity, I thought, “Wow! It’s pretty amazing, it’s quite fascinating! ” There is really a philosophical side, an introspective side behind it.
For those who do not know, can you briefly explain the principle of the Tarot deck?
When we ask ourselves a question, vague or specific, on any topic, we can draw a card. Since it is borrowed from several symbols, it will reflect us as a mirror effect towards our own unconscious. So, it will bring us back to our lived experience, our own experiences and our own knowledge so that we can answer a question ourselves.
How did the process of creating your exhibition go, step by step?
After having had the idea of becoming interested in Tarot, came the acquisition of more than 5 books on the game. I have always had a real work of documentation upstream. Then I explored everything that has already been done related to the game before I even started making my own visuals. There are hundreds of artists who have lent themselves to this exercise. I thought about how I was going to approach the game world. However, I find the images on traditional cards quite outdated, they no longer correspond to current reality. So I asked myself the question, “How can I successfully translate these maps, images and sensations again to help the average person learn to self-learn?”.
Finally, came the search for iconography in terms of the exhibition. Specifically, in terms of format, framing and other parameters to consider. For example, when I made my first canvas, the color problem arose. I’m someone who can spend hours looking for them, pairing them and mixing them much like Getafix in front of his pot. So I thought it would be better to keep the same universe. Thus, the public would not get lost in a maze of colors, it would be all the easier for the understanding of the exhibition.
What emotions and thoughts would you like to bring visitors to your solo show?
The exhibition is a continuation of what I have always done. I want to push women to know and accept themselves. My works are therefore keys that I give them so that they can understand how beautiful and strong they are. Even though there are other little stories that I want to tell, other ideas that I want to convey through the exhibition.
Your work mainly represents the female figure with some exceptions, in particular, with the portrait of Freddy Mercury. Why do you focus more on female features?
It started when I was still in marketing. I was helping a friend to start training for women entrepreneurs. Since we had to organize an event to bring people in, I proposed to do an exhibition. My friend is Franco-Mexican. So, in order for the exhibition to be in keeping with her identity but also with the values of her training, I became interested in Frida Kahlo.
I knew his pictorial work but not his life. When I documented myself, I fell in love with her. So I started to represent her. Then I realized that we have all our wounds and our hidden pains that we often do not express. This is why I wanted to project Frida Kahlo into all women. I wanted to show that each of them is completely different but still has that strength to fight daily battles.
If you could draw the Tarot cards, which arcane would you like to fall?
Le Bateleur represents me well. He is a conjurer who has tremendous ease in everything he does. In a way, he is a wizard who scams to achieve anything. I will identify with this image.
Thank you Florina Aledo Perez !
