Inés Silva is an artist and architect, a dual condition that is good to know to have a better appreciation of her artistic work. Indeed, she consolidates fundamentals of both disciplines allowing her to alter –or infringe– given structures to create new ones in a creative and unlimited way. This is possible not only for her deep knowledge of geometry and proportionality (golden ratio or Divine Proportion) but also by her treatment of the various expressive elements that form her work. All in keeping with the domain of technical procedures that derive from a sensible use of technology.
In Ars Modulor, the title of this exhibition, Inés refers to the measurement system proposed by Le Corbusier. This system involves taking as its starting point the measure of man –as in the golden section– but in this case he represents it with the arm raised based on a height of 226 cm. The reason for this, Inés points out, is because man is always looking to appropriate a space. Therefore, based on the Modulor, the artist makes regulating lines, as she defines them, which are lines or graphisms that structure the work and at the same time act as subtle accents of color. These, in turn, establish proportional relationships to each other through a progression that can be almost infinite.
These regulating lines are observed through Plexiglas, a material decisive in assessing the transparency and light that particularize the abstract-geometric language of Inés. In many cases, they look like floating boxes; in others they seem to interconnect one module with another. Their organization responds, of course, to a proportional bond, which may vary according to the distance or size of one of these segments relative to the others. All parts form, therefore, a harmonious and proportional whole.
In this sense, symmetry is of paramount importance not only in the uniformity or systematization of the regulating lines but also in how certain works are susceptible to being transformed by the manipulation of the viewer. These works in particular, the “Arcus”, can open or close so they transform, expand or contract. At each stage, their appearance changes.
Transparency, on the other hand, allows the appreciation of this sensation of expansion and lightness throughout her work. Each piece presents a vision that seems to multiply depending on the angle of view. The reading is not univocal precisely because of its transparency, which powers in turn its aerial, expansive and progressive condition. All this also indicates her interest in space.
The subtle treatment of the regulating lines generates subtle echoes or resonances of color. This geometry –which involves rationality and accuracy– activates, in parallel, our sensory perception. Therefore, the work of Inés Silva not only approaches science or mathematics, but also draws near music and poetry.
Susana Benko
Art researcher and independent curator. Member of the International Association of Art Critics (AICA-Venezuela).