Mariana Edinger

Her powerful stylized figures composed by gestural strokes and strong colours, has a unique look on the new figurative expressionism. Superior Magazine talked to Mariana Edinger the Brazilian painter who approaches her work as an open journal.

Mariana, was art already your desire since ever? What were the steps of your art career?

Absolutely! It’s something that I love to do. Things progressively pushed me forward and it’s in constant progress. I took art classes, graduated in fine arts and also in visual communication in Brazil, I’m a designer too. Then I went to study painting at the National Academy of Arts in New York. It was an important foundation for my work. I believe that you have to know the rules, so you can break it as you want it. I’m constantly in the studio researching and developing my approach to the paintings.

You are working as figurative painter focusing on the female figures. Why have you chosen this focus?

I don’t think that I chose to paint female figures it naturally became what I do. The figures make me feel connected to the canvas and I find the subject interesting to explore. My characters are influenced by the female imagery across contemporary culture, myths and art history. I like the mystery on how the figures emerges to the canvas and gets its own personality. I enjoy the performance of painting, there’s a mind game that you have to put on the canvas by being present and finding moments that will lead to what’s next. I portrait how I perceive the world by using the figures, colours and atmosphere to narrate it. Sometimes it gets distorted, mellow, fragmented, diffused, excited and so on...But in the end, a painting should be about the painting itself.

What inspires you for your art?

My inspiration comes while working. Painting is like a daydream self-aware expression. It comes from how I perceive and contemplate moments. Any experience can become part of the work and the inspiration mostly comes from memorizing feelings. Music, poetry, and wine helps it too!

You are born and raised in Brazil and moved 5 years ago to New York. Why have you chosen New York? How do both, Brazil and New York influence your art?

Brazil is bucolic and chaotic. It’s almost surreal! There’s a lot of diversity too. I’m from Curitiba and I lived in São Paulo for a couple of years. Mostly of my friends there are artists, musicians, etc.  and I found a lot of inspiration through exchanging with them. Meanwhile I was growing up in Brazil, New York was always a reference to what I was looking for. Inspired by Andy Warhol and the factory, Patti Smith, the Chelsea hotel and so on, all that unique energy and art made me go to New York. The city is in constant change, but still there’s so much on the contemporary art and music scene to get inspired by and to contribute with.

You also work as Art Director and production designer for movies and advertising. Does this interact with your work as artist?

No doubt!... In different ways. The creative energy intersects in both of the practices but it comes from different meanings. For me, making design for productions it’s predictable while making art it’s not.

Is there any project which you really would love to realize in the future?

I don’t usually plan what to do next... but I’m always up for collaboration projects! Right now, I have a solo show at Boiler Galeria and I’m participating on an exhibition at MuMA museum, both in Brazil. I am about to do an art residency in Europe to prepare for an exhibition that I am looking forward too!

Thank you for the interview!