Bella Bonner-Evans interviews artist Rafaela de Ascanio, whose work is included in STUDIO WEST's summer 2022 exhibition, 'FANCY A BITE?'.
"Rafaela de Ascanio’s work feels as if it is from another world. Her practice spans sculpture, painting and installation, forming an interdisciplinary mythos of its own. Informed by science fiction, heroic female protagonists in literature, folk law and esoteric pagan practices, her pieces have an archaeological aura. They almost appear as votive objects unexpectedly uncovered from the depths. Despite contemporary colour palates, largely informed by growing up in the tropical volcanic Canary Islands, the sculptures in particular, have an irreducible timeless quality.
Ascanio explores the female experience through iconographical symbols and diverse references throughout her practice, with each element working in tandem towards building an image of woman as empowered, heroic, self-sufficient, and resilient. Her sculptures bear the marks of the maker’s hand, creating an intimacy between the artist, the work and the viewer, and connecting us to the grounded yet spiritual notion of femininity central to the overall approach."
