September 12–October 10, 2020
Steve Turner is pleased to present, Digging a Hole to the Surface, a solo exhibition by Ghent-based Shirley Villavicencio Pizango consisting of an array of portrait paintings, some of sitters in her studio, others based on memory. All the portraits encompass Villavicencio’s fascinating history of living her first eighteen years in the crowded tenements of Lima and the last fourteen in the calm comfort of Ghent. The paintings draw deep inspiration from her memories of Peru, and where there might seem to be inspiration from her favorite European artists, these sources get processed through Villavicencio’s Peruvian eyes. Sitters appear to resemble Villavicencio or other Peruvians who have Indigenous roots; most of the paintings include lush plants and undulating mountains and a simplicity of line work that is reminiscent of designs from ancient Peru. While she often portrays her sitters in a melancholy or thoughtful manner, she does so with a brush work that is passionate and energetic. She works quickly and leaves visible traces of undercoats that parallel her own multi-layered history. If the narrative of a particular painting is elusive, one can discern much from Villavicencio’s choice of titles, the most Belgian aspect of her studio practice. Companion of Absence, Whispers of Nostalgia and An Abandoned Song are three works in the current exhibition. Shirley Villavicencio Pizango (born 1988, Lima) earned an MA at The Royal Academy of Fine Art (KASK), Ghent (2013) as well as a Laureate Degree at the Higher Institute of Fine Art (HISK), Ghent (2020). She has had solo exhibitions at Geukens & De Vil, Antwerp (2018 & 2020) and Art Lima (2019). This is Villavicencio’s first solo exhibition with Steve Turner. Having grown up in the Peruvian capital of Lima and the small village of Santiago De Borja in the Amazon rainforest, Shirley Villavicencio Pizango moved to Ghent, Belgium when she was eighteen years old. Fourteen years later, Villavicencio Pizango has nicely reconciled these diverse experiences to record her daily life in Ghent by painting portraits of family, friends and strangers. She portrays her sitters within lush vegetation and amidst textiles, pottery and geometric forms reminiscent of Incan sources. Her paintings are colorful, loose, expressionistic and folky and her sitters are depicted with a concise sensitivity that conveys nostalgia, memory and melancholy. Born 1988, Lima, Peru Education 2015 2013 2012 Solo Exhibitions 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2013 Group Exhibitions 2020 2019 2018 2017 2015 2014 2013 2010 Residencies Bibliography 2019 2018 2017
Lives and works in Ghent, Belgium
2020
HISK Laureate, Ghent, Belgium
Teacher Certification in the Arts, The Royal Academy of Fine Arts – Kask, Ghent
MA, The Royal Academy of Fine Arts – Kask
BA, The Royal Academy of Fine Arts – Kask
2021
Lima Vitae, Geukens & De Vil Gallery, Knokke, Belgium
Digging a Hole to the Surface, Steve Turner, Los Angeles
Under the Same Moon with the Stars as Shelter in a Land of Sand, Geukens & De Vil Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium
Art Lima (with Geukens & De Vil Gallery)
Biennial of Amazonian Art (with Geukens & De Vil Gallery), Pucallpa, Peru
Salty Rain, This Is Not a Déjà-vu, Geukens & De Vil Gallery, Antwerp
I Need You Out, Floors, Ghent
Nature Of Sign, NVT Galerie, Ghent
De Kotroute, Ghent
2021
Our World Two, Steve Turner, Los Angeles
Confined Challenge 2.0, Geukens & De Vil Gallery, Antwerp
Artivirals, Maaltebruggekasteel, Ghent, Belgium
Portraits, Cultural Center Marchin, Belgium (upcoming)
No Touching, Kunst 100, Berlin, Germany
CHAIN, Studio Koen van den Broek, Antwerp, Belgium
Ofte Vojaĝantoj, curated by Benedicte Goesaert, 360° Kunst at Wilford X, Temse, Belgium
En Piste! Museum La Boverie, Liege, Belgium
Art Group Exhibition: Quinten De Bruyn, Orlando Gruwez & Shirley Villavicencio, In de Ruimte, Ghent
Filet Pur — Lofzang voor de Man, BLANCO, Ghent
Salon BL, Begijnhof ter Hoye, Ghent
IT’S IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN TOUCH, In de Ruimte, Ghent
Ecce Homo, Fierens Blokken, Antwerp
DRKPSTRT#6, Dok Noord, Ghent
Picturale, Ronse, Belgium
Heart Thinkers, Logroño, Spain
Graduation 2013, Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Ghent
The Big Draw Festival, Ghent
33rd FISAE International Ex-libris Competition Exhibition, Istanbul, Turkey
2017
Paradise Air, Matsudo, Japan (residency)
2020
Vanbelle, Annelies, “Shirley Villavicencio Pisang, a contemporary feminist Fauvist,” TheArtCouch, May 21
“#1 Shirley Villavicencio Pizango – self-portrait,” Subbacultcha, March 20
“Dos artistas peruanas que brillaron en ed Art Lima 2019,” COSAS, April 12
Maher, Daneil Milroy. “Shirley Villavicencio tells her own story through painting,” It’s Nice That, March 11
Raeman, Herlinde. “New masters: Shirley Villacicencio Pizango,” Subbacultcha, February
Van Damme, Fernand. “De overheid wil bijna niet dat de jonge, ondernemende generatie slaagt,” DeMorgen, June 1
