Victoria Martinez Costa Verified listing

My name is Victoria, I see myself as a restless, curious being who is constantly surprised and amazed by existence, but above all I believe in the power of human relationships.

I say this, which seems not very relevant, but it is what simplifies a little how my approach to painting came unexpectedly and without any planning.

It was in March 2020, when the world had to stopped because of the pandemic.

This obstacle of mobility put me in front of myself like never before, I learn to discover what had always been on hold, who knows why, but that's how I understand it. The engine of my creation as an artist began to work, paradoxically, when the world stopped.

This deceleration of the outside was at the same speed as my desire to create inside my place in the world, my home.

I am a professional audiovisual producer. I've been working for 20 years, shooting commercials for aboard, documentaries, stills and events.

I studied Communication at ORT University and then specialization in  Direction of Photography at Septima ARS, in Madrid, where I lived for 2 years.

I spent several years as a rucksack traveler in America and Asia, and my curiosity to know  different cultures from my own motivated me to get closer to art in all its forms.

Obviously, film making has had a strong influence on my artistic formation, and the painter's gestation that was growing within me only came to light when I had the time to sit down, reflect, prepare a canvas and let the brush flow without prejudice.

I am deeply moved by what is real, what I can feel in front of a work, whether it is a painting, a sculpture or an installation by another artist.

I believe that the world needs people who can feel, who can be present, who can create.

Painting accompanies me in this process of personal discovery, which I am beginning to feel is increasingly universal. I find in this language a possibility of expressing my being, one that I do not give shape or gender to, but existence.

Painting arises spontaneously as a need to perpetuate memories and feelings that relate to my childhood in my grandmother's house, where we spent every afternoon surrounded by laughter, the smell of cakes in the oven, with family and neighbors. In the same way, I recreate in my paintings the creation of my own family, with my two children and husband, in a home that I intend to fill with color in a Montevideo that is so often gray.

Each work I paint feels as if time and space come to a halt, and the common objects around us take on importance and prominence. I create a reality that is accompanied by positive sensations, leaving aside the worldly discomforts I may be going through, and instead, I pour onto the canvas the reasons to feel well, making that moment a gentle gift to my being.

My works reflect the CONSEQUENCES OF BEING—of being present without pretense, without judgment, without direction, but loaded with both personal and universal identity. My intention is to convey joy, innocence, tranquility, childhood, color, warmth, and simplicity in each painting. Contemplating those spaces that take me to places where I was happy is all that matters to me.

Recurring elements in almost all my works include the tiles from my grandmother’s house, windows opening to a dreamlike beach, tables set for those wishing to enjoy a peaceful moment, homemade food, tea cups with leaves for my grandmother to read, cups of rich coffee, bread, fruits... A story is breathed where the protagonists have momentarily left the scene, but the imminence of their return is palpable. The presence of colorful, imagined flowers in vibrant vases full of life—not flowers to mourn death—the silent presence of music, sunsets, waves, friendship, family, and nature are omnipresent in all my works.

I believe in real, tangible human connections. Painting offers me that through the gaze of others and the emotions it evokes in both people I know and strangers. I receive messages from people in different parts of the world who see themselves reflected or find stories that resonate with them or move.