Ana Barriga

Cádiz Spain 1984

In her work, she seeks to find the balance between reason and emotion, two seemingly contradictory territories that, when friction occurs, generate a type of energy that interests her. She aims to move within the realm of playfulness, a space shared by artists and children, where prejudices are abandoned and the most unexpected part of ourselves emerges.

Humor, playfulness, or irony are ways of positioning ourselves in front of reality in a different and unexpected manner, breaking common patterns. From there, unpredictable situations arise that exude freshness and are attractive to us because they do not conform to predetermined models. Play is very important both in her work and in her way of working, and this idea is evident in three main areas. In the represented elements: most are children's pieces, decorative objects, or everyday use items, as well as in the way of treating and configuring those elements: she paints, breaks, mutilates, assembles, or composes them in one way or another, as if she were playing with them, and also in the way she approaches a piece: she tests, erases, repaints, modifies, and even intervenes with spray as if it were an act of vandalism towards her own painting. Graduated in Fine Arts from the University of Seville, she currently lives and works in Madrid. Ana Barriga's recent curriculum achievements include the International Painting Prize from the Focus Foundation, the Visual Arts Prize from the University of Seville, CICUS, and Generations 2019, both achieved in 2017; she has been selected for various Residency Grants for creators and has pieces in collections such as the Contemporary Art Center (CAC) of Malaga or the DKV Collection.