E L I T S A   B A R A M Ó

CHILDHOOD IN CUBA

We used to live in Cuba and my first sensory memories are from there - a lot of sunshine, Havana, the Flores neighbourhood, freedom, the colours of the delight of life.. We lived in a hotel for four years. Whenever I saw an African - American, I was attracted to him. This used to drive my mum crazy. If  I got out of her sight, I was ready to go on a Blackman's lap, and such a love started....like 1000 miracles. I remember some aromas. Of freedom. Of that what is going to happen. There was always some adventure to come. The sun always creates some attitude. Years later, when I worked in Germany, I realized that the people's national psychology is determined geophysically in some way. In Cuba, when we were walking along the seaside Promenada Boulevard, the waves crashed nearby and sprinkeld us with small drops. I remember how the whole family used to have ice -  cream for dinner, my father used to buy a whole bucket, we just sat and ate with spoons to our heart's content. 

DRAWING AS A LIFESTYLE

I have been drawing  my whole life. I graduated the National High School of Applied Arts "St. Luke", Textile class. Then I applied to the Arts Academy. I was preparing for the “Ecole des Beaux Arts” in Paris when my father passed away and I quit. His death crushed me.
I applied for “Spatial design“ at the Academy of Arts (Sofia) because I have spacial way of thinking and I love big scale projects. I have have this in my blood from my father who used to design houses, bridges and other marvellous things. I wasn't accepted in the Academy the first year I applied. I started inviting models to my studio. My colleagues also came and we drew together. I taught myself and worked. I had decided not to apply anymore, but one of my classmates coaxed me into applying for the Illustration Class. This specialty is a huge mental overload, people used to apply for it for more than ten years.  Book, Graphic Design and Printing Techniques - a totally opposite direction. It seemed intriguing to me. I was accepted and started learning about it. I continued with my painting too. The Academy course didn't break my personal feeling. It just assessed my different way of thinking.

GERMANY ON THE WAY

I worked in Germany for six years after the Academy. At first, I went there to an Academic Symposium. I submitted the documents, the competition was very tight. You had to bring your previous paintings, then you were given an art studio to create more works which you exhibit at the end of event. This was the beginning of my six - year travelling and exhibiting in Germany. I earned money in Bulagria creating graphic design and publicity and spent it according to the other standard. I sold pictures there, I used to do 2 - 3 exhibitions a year. My last exhibition in Germany was about Cuba and I prepared it on the  place itself. In 2006, it was as if I returned physically to my better self. It seemed as I had left a big part of myself there and I took it back. Returning to Cuba, I felt something for the first time, its meaning became clearer to me later on - it happens with animals - it is called synesthesia - crossover in the senses; when you smell something, you can taste it in your mouth. I felt this in Cuba, whose nature is abundant, even sexy and somehow penetrates you.

HOW THE IDEAS GROWS

I always draw my paintings to have more interpretations. I remain open-minded to all people who are curious and develop. I am such a person who cannot be confined in a drawer - it will always something stick out - a leg, an arm or a braid. The fluxus art movement inspires me, namely the tendency and idea of uniting the arts for a higher purpose - the harmony. In most cases, my art focus the human. Even when there is no human presence in my compositions, you could feel it. It is totally intentional. I have a whole collection of works  - an analogy with the Shroud from Torino and the absent presence of God and the human imprint. ( editor's note - Fluxus is among the most significant art movements in the 60s of 20th century. The American George Machunas is considered to be its founder. Fluxus is above all an art of behaviour. The accent is on the artists' gestures, not on the consequences from them.) 

DRAWING THE MOVEMENT

I am also interested in movement in the Platonic sense. Platon has a concept about the moving beauty which is still actual for my basis. I haven't found anything better to correspond to my naturel. As an author, I compress two or more phases of the movement. It is nothing new, but that's my vision for harmony. Self - knowledge is a tool for an artist, to know yourself and work on your ego. In a lot of cases, you find things that you don't like to be the way they are. You would like to smooth your image as perfect and wonderful, but it doesn't work like that.