Name: Patricia Brigida Sifuentes Cazorla
Age: 31
Roots: Venezuelan, although my blood is actually "mixed media"
New Yorker for : 10 years
Day Job: Curatorial Assistant at Lehman College Art Gallery
Personal projects: Galería Galou and my own artwork
Where do you seek inspiration? : Women and their behavior is what intrigue me the most.
Greatest influences: If I mention all the people that it is important to me in history and real life, the list will be endless. I learning from life trough the present where I am, everyone and every second influence my life.
Describe your work in three words: layered, deep and powerful
What is your favorite medium to work with? : Oil paint
What do you seek to convey through your work? : My aim is to grasp the female essence and portray the experience of being a woman.
Does being an artist influence your curatorial method?: Totally, it helps me to give a visual narrative to the exhibition instead of pages of a curatorial dissertation where the common public have not clue of what he is looking at.
How was Galeria Galou born? :
It was conceived in 2003 as an exhibition space with the purpose of supporting primarily local and international emerging artists. It was created by a group of artists interested in fresh, cutting-edge and experimental approaches to art.
What is the ultimate goal of the space? :
Keeping the effort to support local and international emerging artists and at the same time contributing to change the preconceived idea of "Latin American Art" from conservative collectors.
Why Williamsburg?: I am living in the Burg since 1999. I got the gallery space trough my best friend (almost my brother) Hisayasu Takashio, a Japanese sculptor. It was destiny, good luck… who knows…
In which way do you think that multiculturalism is important for art? :
It helps you to understand and appreciate other cultures trough the eye of an individual. At that moment you are connected to the universe. It’s also a way to make peace.
Is there enough multiculturalism in the New York art world?:
There is a lot but never enough. Multiculturalism helps you to grow intrepid collectors.
Has creating Galeria Galou nourished your personal artwork? : Absolutely, it has nourished me in all aspects of my life as well.
In which ways?: Specially, it helps me to develop my own criteria, turning down the trends.
Future projects:
I am very excited preparing the September exhibition at GalerÌ≠a Galou, "Venezueland"; selected works of venezuelan artists living in NY and I am planning to spend a month working in my own artwork either in Berlin or London next year, hopefully.