Rosmery Mamani Ventura exhibits her roots in Artespacio CAF

As a show of recognition and homage to the dignity of the men, women, and children that live in the city of El Alto, artist Rosmery Mamani Ventura inaugurated her recent exhibit, called Sonidos de la imaginacion (Sounds of the Imagination) on September 3rd in CAF's art gallery Artespacio in La Paz, emphasizing the expression of the Aymara and Afro-Bolivian cultures. 

Mamani presents oil and pastel paintings as well as objects discovered in the environment, treated with resins and painting, which show the artist's interest in human biengs, their activities, and their traditions. 

For Cecilia Lampo, curator of CAF's Artespacio and artistic advisor of the show, Mamani's work is a genuine expression of the  contemporary Aymara culture. She stated, "The expressions of Rosmery Mamani come from the standards of European classic painting. This new form of expression, very different from ancient Aymaras, is gaining acceptance and followers in the cities of El Alto and La Paz".

Lampo explained that the paintings are hyperrealist reproductions, portraits of people, drawings and paintings of fish, birds, and objects. She added, "Technically, these representations are so true, that they give the impression of being photographs that are more real than what is real".  

Steps of a new artist

Rosmery Mamani Ventura was born in the community of Cajiata, Province of Omasuyos at the shores of Lake Titicaca in the Department of La Paz. At fourteen, she went to live in the city of El Alto, where she resides and develops her artistic work.  

Since she was little she showed her talent making portraits and drawings of her childhood friends and teachers at school. After she finished her studies in 2002, she started working as a freelance artist, making portraits and landscapes. In 2005, after the inauguration of the Escuela de Municipal de Artes (Municipal Arts School), famous  watercolor artist Ricardo Perez Alcala discovered the potential of the young artist, and decided to become her mentor.  

She completed her studies in the Municipal Arts School in 2009, and started her professional career. In 2008, she won the national drawing award "El Valor del Dibujo" (The Value of Drawings), granted by the Fernando Montes Peñaranda Foundation of La Paz; the following year, she received an Honorary Mention in the contest "Salón de Invierno" (Winter Hall), held in the city of Cochabamba; she also won the First National Award in the contest "Salón Municipal 14 de Septiembre, Arte Joven" (September 14th Municipal Hall, Young Art) annually held in the city of Cochabamba; she later won the First Prize for drawing and engraving in the contest "Salon Municipal de Artes Plasticas, Pedro Domingo Murillo" (Pedro Domingo Murillo Municipal Plastic Arts Hall) in La Paz.

In 2010 she received the only award given by the contest "Octubre Negro" (Black October), in the graduates of the El Alto city category; the same year, she won the first prize in painting in the contest "Cambio Climático y Seguridad Alimentaria" (Climate Change and Food Safety) carried out in La Paz; the following year, she won the second place in the international contest  "Bice Bugatti-Giovanni Segantini 2011", in Nova Milanese, Italy.

In 2012, she won the second prize in the portrait category of the I Virtual Exhibit Contest of Pastel Painting in the Asociación de Pinturas Pastelistas de España (ASPAS) (Spanish Association of Pastel Paintings), held in Spain; in 2013 she won the first places in the  "II Exposición virtual de realismo" (II Realism Virtual Exhibit), in the painting category, and in the "II Bienal Internacional de Oviedo" (II International Biennial of Oviedo), both events held in Spain. 

Mamani has also participated in numerous individual and collective exhibits in Bolivia, Spain, France, and Taiwan.  

The exhibit will be open to the public in CAF's Artespacio, located in Avenida Arce Nº 2915 (San Jorge) until September 24th, 2014. Visiting hours are from Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 12:30 and from 14:30 to 18:30. Entrance is free.