Today we’d like to introduce you to Silvana Soriano.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am a Brazilian artist and art educator. I grew up certain that I would be an artist. Still, knowing the difficulties and uncertainties of my career, I thought of work alternatives that would allow me to suit sustainability and my dream. I looked for my independence very early, and although I wanted to have children, the idea of financially depending on someone never appealed to me. I decided to become an art teacher because I like to exchange knowledge, being with children and young people is always very rewarding. I studied art education and parallelled to the visual arts school, which allowed me to get in touch with contemporary artists and excellent teachers. As soon as I graduated, I started teaching in College and Public School for five years. Unfortunately, in Brazil, teacher salaries were meager, and it didn’t allow me to think about having children, and being a mother was one of my big dreams. So I decided to change radically and took a competitive exam for a public position. I was classified and started to work in the city hall of Rio. With a good salary and alternative hours, I could support my two children and make art. It wasn’t easy, but I managed to buy an apartment and raise my kids with some comfort. In 2007 I remarried and immigrated to the US. My kids at this time were 13 and 9 years old. The change was quite radical because I didn’t speak the language and didn’t have a job or friends, and I had to build my life all over again. Being an immigrant allowed me to see my country’s culture from another perspective. Realizing the richness of a plural culture in an equally plural city prompted me to create projects that spoke of this richness. I decided to go back to teaching and work first as a substitute teacher then as a teaching artist for the nonprofit Arts for Learning. I worked in several schools and programs for a long time, from infants to middle school students. Arts for learning has incredible programs and the best people to work with.
I always wanted to do a Master in Arts because I love studying and being in the academic environment. It took me a little while to face the challenge. After the second year working full-time in a public school as an art teacher, I finally started my Masters in Art Education at FIU, and it was an immeasurable gift for me. In this two-year course, I believe that I used all the resources available to me. I won an individual studio, applied for a figurative painting and drawing certificate, and joined a fantastic program, Ratcliffe Art +_ Design Incubator. I was super busy, but it was gratifying.
Despite my age, I felt very well received by the young people, and I loved exchanging experiences with many of them. I made great friends between students and teachers.
At the Ratcliffe Art + Design Incubator, I created a project called Kreyativ. The main idea is to offer art workshops for low-income immigrant women. I am now in the implementation phase of this project. With the guidance of my mentors, I am preparing a program where these women will learn and develop art skills simultaneously, share stories, and create an online space to house the tales and their artistic products.
During the pandemic, a great opportunity arose in the lockdown. The creation of Fama, an association of fiber artists, of which I am a part. We made a group exhibition celebrating the 100th anniversary of the female vote. I was invited to be represented by The Camp gallery. In April 2021, the gallery housed my first solo show in Miami called Ipsis Litteris, a mixed-media body of works where I explored idiomatic expressions in different languages.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My trajectory has not been a smooth road, but I have always counted on dear people who have been on my side. The qualities I believe are my strengths are resilience and creativity. Resilience to know how to wait, not thinking that we have more rights or prerogatives than others. The magisterium showed me the power of communication and that it can open up paths that I would not know how to find on my own. Creativity is a magic wand that makes you lose the fear of the unexpected. Life proved to me that we don’t have control of anything, and that’s why we have to rely on the ability to improvise and create to follow the flow of life.
I work with various media, and I am curious to learn and try new techniques and materials. The female universe is a keynote in my work, and I think it’s important to voice women’s stories and visions. The narrative is another vital aspect of my work, and I do much language-related work and explore the intersection between writing and visuals. I am a restless person. Behind an apparent calm, I’m always looking for new ideas and always open to doing collaborative projects. A short time ago, I realized that despite being shy and insecure, I feel attracted by the challenge of taking myself out of my comfort zone.
I think what I’m most proud of is my willingness to learn. It gives me a sense of purpose, of making life count. It is not just learning for myself but learning to change things and help others make a difference in such an indifferent world.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I work on ideas and themes, so I choose the media to translate them better. I used collage for the series about idiomatic expressions in several languages to incorporate images printed in magazines and books. In this series, I created a lot of references and appropriations, and the idea to add existing images was crucial. My last series was about portraits of immigrant women from the lens of female artists. I used painting and collage with paper and fabric to add real clothes to the image. When I have ideas that involve repetition or series, I use printmaking; that is one of my passions.
I think what I’m most proud of is my willingness to learn. It gives me a sense of purpose, of making life count. It is not just learning for myself but learning to change things and help others make a difference in such an indifferent world. I don’t take things for granted, and I know that what I deserve is what I sow, that I always have to work hard and be sensitive to make room for others to grow. It may sound mawkish, but sharing is the greatest happiness and makes life worth it.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was a dreamy and idealistic child, when I played with my dolls the doll with a blanket would share it with the cold doll. I grew up in an ordinary middle-class family, but I was angry to see social inequalities. I grew up in a dictatorship and suffered very silently and in fear. Stating your opinion was dangerous, and therefore, I learned to say no in silence. I had to fight a lot to overcome my shyness and build self-esteem. Despite the hardships of growing up in a third-world country in an authoritarian system, I understood early on how comforting it is to grow up around such an affectionate people.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.silvanasoriano.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silvanasorianoart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/silvanasorianoart/
- Other: https://www.artsy.net/artist/silvana-soriano
Image Credits
Profile 1 and 2 By Khotan profile 3 Sofia Soriano
