Lost, Like a Seagull in The Andes

• Prize
• Photographer
  Yuliana Guedez Forgiarini, Venezuela
• Studio
  Naufragia

This is a self-portrait about my inner feelings on diaspora.

Sometimes we feel lost, like a seagull in The Andes.

Diaspora and migrations are a ferocious thing. The mountains
of my hometown lull my thoughts... While the nostalgia from the
past fuses with the challenges of the future. I remind myself that
only the exciting stories are told and remembered... And so I
travel, as if I was packed along with what is closest to my heart.

I work in order to represent the eternal becoming of life, with topics such as identity, wandering, the sky, the sea, truth and freedom; creating surreal worlds in order to cause introspection in my audience.

Human's ability of creating new things has always intrigued me. When I was little, I dreamt of becoming a painter, and now, years later, mi passion has transformed towards Fine Art Photography; without forgetting the drawing lines that came before it.

I come from a city called Merida, which is the most important student-city in Venezuela. However, due to the problems in my country, fine-art has represented a way to relief myself from the trouble that surrounds me. It is an escape, but also a way to show my reality, mi inner world, my thoughts.

My interest lies in any social, cultural and artistic manifestations. I am a student in the shapes of life, in a career as a designer that develops further away. Thus, I travel searching for that thing that fills me. I love to observe and to be curious, because creativity is born from observation and self-knowledge.

Naufragia expresses in a metaphorical way each one of my adventures… We are all navigating our lives in a voyage, lost in the ocean. Many souls lie down in the sea like forgotten ships, with great treasures inside them.

I enjoy working by myself, but also with people who are passionate for what they do, and I always try to get fully involved in each project. I will always look for a creative solution, because persistently I’ll want to innovate outside my comfort zone. My mission is to portray the soul, be it on commissioned projects as well as self-projects, always trying to cause introspection in the public.

Awards El Universal (2017) "MIRADA EXPUESTA // YULIANA GUÉDEZ FORGIARINI: Naufragia". Venezuela.

Photoshop's Official Instagram (2017), for the piece "Sea of tears". https://www.instagram.com/p/BZBxByLB9wf/?hl=es-la&taken-by=photoshop

Selected in the IX Bienal de Artes Visuales, Universidad de Los Andes. Mérida, Venezuela.