Written by
Where's the frame
November 4, 2021 8:16 AM
GMT
Like nothing else in the universe, Argentinian artist Sara Rainoldi explores the ephemerality behind digital fashion advertising images seen across multiple digital media platforms. Her works mirror today's romanticism for immaterial digital commodities and how desire became affected by the speed of the net. Here are 5 questions.
Which of your pieces is your personal favourite, and you feel like it is like nothing else in your universe? Share your thoughts and stories behind it!
I always try not to get too attached to any of my paintings once they are finished. I was once told to never fall in love with what I produce but instead acknowledge it and move on to the next work since romanticism can limit my future production. But if I had to choose a recent work that caused me to think about my practice, it definitely is ‘LV_f/w06’. I created that piece for a painting show called ‘Size Matters,’ which took place this past May at Propositions Studios. The idea of the show was for all the works to be of the same scale (40x60cm) and see how each painter would engage with that scale. I created the piece in a very short period of time, and, once it was finished, I had the strange feeling that it was a turning point not only because of its materiality but also its plasticity. I mounted it on a very heavy metal frame to reference the flatness of technology and make the piece look more firm. The fact I used inks on it made me remember how much I enjoyed this medium and how much I want to explore using it in my next series of works.
What’s the best thing about Argentina?
Blooming Jacaranda trees. It’s lovely to be in Buenos Aires during the last months of the year. The trees make the city look more dreamy and colourful. It reminds me of new beginnings.
You used a lot of fashion references in your works, can you tell us more why you choose fashion?
When I was a teenager, I wanted to study fashion, so I would collect and read fashion magazines on a daily basis. These were the images that I would consume in a world before social media and fast broadband networking. In 2014, the year in which I experienced terrible sleeping problems, I had a very short dream where I was painting on top of those fashion magazines. I began doing that and I started sharing those series of works on Instagram and began collaborating and publishing them on different online platforms and physical magazines across the world. I continue to use fashion images because I like the fantasy behind advertisement campaigns – how brands create illusionary ephemeral worlds that only last for a season before they are out of style, become a past trend, and set themselves to die in the deepness of the web.
Do you find yourself being impacted by other artists? If so, who and how?
Over the past year, I’ve been feeling very influenced by the scale of Rosenquist paintings. I haven't had the chance to see one of those mural scale works in person yet, but from looking at them online, their immensity and immersive quality drives me crazy. They remind me of Buenos Aires, the city where I was born and raised, and whose roads are full of billboards. I particularly remember taking a road full of fashion billboards on a daily basis when I was in secondary school, which I believe have had a very important influence on the narrative and scale of my works.
What’s the weirdest thing you ever found in the streets of London?
I don’t usually find things on the street because I’m always more captivated to see objects reflected on the glass walls of different buildings. While studying at Goldsmiths, I used to take the train from Cannon Street everyday. There is a building just outside the station whose windows are bent so they break up the reflection of cars and people passing by and make them two separate figures. I think it’s very captivating how people and cars' reflections appear on one single window, then suddenly disappear, and appear again on another piece of glass.
You can collect the pieces she's created for LIKE NOTHING ELSE IN THE UNIVERSE here.
Follow Artist on her instagram and website.
Artwork photographs courtesy of the artist. Portraits taken by Alina zum Hebel (website/ instagram). Photography courtesy of where’s the frame? and Alina zum Hebel.
where’s the frame? - ‘LIKE NOTHING ELSE IN THE UNIVERSE’ is a collection of 6 up and coming international artists. The collection is available from October 14, 2021 until January 14, 2022.
