zaida adriana goveo balmaseda
artist | concoctionist | meditator
Since childhood, I’ve been interested in the alchemical quality of handcrafts, the versatility of fibers and textiles, the spaces they hold, and the stories they tell us. Through these, I study, represent, and honor the symbiotic relationship we can have with ourselves, our materials, what we create, what we eat, and our environment.
My exploration is often rooted in traditional artisanal techniques to which I have a cultural or familial connection; and it is developed through experiments with organic, recycled, or gathered fibers, the rituals and movements of conscious and meditative creation, energy and plant medicine, what happens when we come together and observe each other, silence, and our perception-of and relationship-with time.
My practice is intense, manual, and slow; highlighting the magic of the process, the journey, and the energy invested in humble actions that transform. The installations and ‘happenings’ that emerge are sacred spaces where soft sculpture, material rescue & transformation, meditation, contemplative movement, and ceremony converge.
I am an alum from the Central School of Visual Arts, the Fashion Institute of New York, Polimoda, and Politécnico di Milano. I have continued post-university studies through workshops with master craftsmen around Borikén, a Contemplative Movement practice, courses and retreats in various meditation techniques, as well as training in Sourcepoint Therapy.
I have been a resident artist at the Textile Arts Center, Beta Local’s La Práctica, arteFITS Foundation, the The Studios at MASSMoCA, and a returning fellow at succurro. I was a recipient of the Lexus Grant for Artists thanks to which I exhibited my piece ‘SOL’ at the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico in 2018. This year I was a participant of Creative Capital’s Taller 2021, and a resident at El Depósito (Colección Hernández Castrodad), which hosted my first Solo Show •sosteniendo la espiral•, from May-July, 2021.
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+ You can contact me at zagb@balmaseda.com and/or follow my adventures on Instagram.