10 Questions with Shilowska Pretto

Naturally driven by the love of all forms of visual expression, she started her career as a graphic and interior designer. In 1997 painting became her passion, at first becoming well-known for her large-scale murals in private residences and institutions. As of 2003, her hyperactive curiosity and rebellious approach to painting have led her to experiment on canvas with all sorts of non-traditional materials and to examine the transformative qualities of light intensively. Her unique voice is expressed through reflective materials and chemical reactions that give her work an organic, disquieting, futuristic quality. The central theme of her work is the creation of new worlds and creatures, transporting the spectator’s imagination to a different dimension through light, reflection, and form. In 2010 she became part of the Austrian base, multimedia, and artist representation group Butterflies & Bunnyrabbits. Through the years, her distinctive work has been exhibited in places like Vienna, Milan, Oslo, and New York, gaining international recognition for her innovative painting approach. Over time, she has continued to evolve her own language and technique, with the goal of creating something unique and transformative in painting.

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ARTIST STATEMENT

Through the representation of otherworldly creatures and realms, Shilowska found a doorway to constantly reinventing her reality. A way of defying the paradigms set upon her regarding ethnicity, place of birth, gender, physical appearance, social status, and age.

The underlying message in her artistic expression is one of untapped possibility and hope, postulating that we as human beings are more than what our current belief system allows us to comprehend. From an early age, we are programmed to process our world from a certain angle, without questioning its veracity, or effectiveness, simply assuming it as absolute truth. This narrow perspective forces us, as a society, to function from a numbed level of consciousness, as consumer robots, caught up in the drama, petty fights, worries about the future, and constant fear, unable to move forward to a better and more evolved level of existence. But the true nature of the universe is uncertainty and mutation. The structures that we hold so dear, our religions, our governments, our technology, our routines are just a moment in time and will soon be transformed into something else. And that is precisely the magic of it all, the never-ending transformation of a deep intelligence in constant self-expression.

Through her work, the artist looks forward to the spectator to dream and engage with the message in their own unique way. There is no right or wrong when interpreting her work. Her aim as an artist is not to give any pre-established, predigest neural pathways in terms of familiar concepts, shapes, or color codes. The interpretation is unique and personal and is meant to create an inner tension that forces the spectator’s brain to work and produce its own meaning, to establish new patterns and create brand new connections, a doorway to connect to a different dimension, through the medium of painting.

Drops of Wisdom, Mixed media on canvas, 150x90 cm, 2019 © Shilowska Pretto

INTERVIEW

First of all, introduce yourself to our readers and tell us a little more about your background. How did you start getting involved with art?

Since I was a little girl, I had this very weird feeling that I was just a soul ready to embark on a story called Shilowska. I never had a strong identification with my place of birth, my timeline, my gender, my physical appearance, and the role all these circumstances were supposed to play in my story. Rather, I discovered that my soul's force and the inner world would be more determinant factors in my configuration as an individual.

Starting life with this strange mindset in a very small country was not an easy task. I often found it very difficult to articulate my unique vision of the world. Through time I discovered that art was the solution, the doorway between the two worlds. Art represents the medium through which I've been able to structure, materialize and communicate all these visions and emotions into a coherent message that otherwise would have been extremely difficult to convey. It has allowed me to integrate my inner being and my outer reality in a functional and very fulfilling way.

How would you define yourself as an artist today?

I defined myself as a rule-breaker regarding technique and subject as well. Because of the inquisitive nature of my mind and my hyperactive curiosity, I am constantly questioning my surroundings and the nature of things. I always start by asking WHY? Why am I expected to use oil, acrylic, or watercolors? Instead of glitter, anticorrosive and car paint together? Why do I have to paint humans, flowers, portraits instead of beings of my own creation? Why can't I move from one medium to another?

Starting from this character trait, I developed an unconventional painting style based on a complex mix of non-traditional materials, challenging conventional notions on what is expected on canvas. The result is a futuristic yet organic, otherworldly language that looks to inspire the spectator's mind to travel beyond this realm into new worlds.

Portrait of a Light Being #2, Mixed media on canvas, 50x40 cm, 2016 © Shilowska Pretto

What is your creative process like? And what is your working routine?

Every painting is a unique journey; much as in life, you know where you start but not where you are going to end. It all starts with a clear intention on my behalf, but somehow I'm always fooled by the idea that I am in control and can predict how, when, and what. It is never like that, some pieces take me months or even years to finish after dragging me along on a crazy roller coaster ride, and some others are finished in just a couple of days. Each becomes a reflection of my inner state and the lessons I'm expected to learn at the moment. The only conscious choice I make is the color. As for the rest, once I begin, the piece starts developing an uncanny will of its own, dictating its own unfolding in a very mysterious way.

Meanwhile, I have a wide variety of materials at my disposal, most of them completely outside the domain of traditional painting, and I use them in very improbable combinations as well.

This allows me to create very innovative outcomes. I find that way more exciting than sticking to the usual. I usually work on three or four pieces at a time. That gives me the mental space and the necessary distance to allow the outcome of each piece to unfold in its own time without me obsessing on it.

Your works are delicate paintings that recall fantastic creatures and landscapes. What messages are you trying to convey with your work?

As an artist, I don't find pleasure in representing things that are already in the world, human figures, portraits, landscapes, etc. The way I see it is that if I've been given the opportunity to be a creator, why don't I take it and truly CREATE! Create new life forms, new worlds, new textures, new feelings, and perceptions. As an individual, I've never felt the need to constraint myself to what is expected or accepted.

Therefore, more than a specific message, I'm trying to convey a feeling of TRANSCENDENCE, of UNTAPPED POSSIBILITY, of HOPE… I hope that there is something deeply profound out there beyond what our limited perception allows us to grasp. Intending that there are many other planes of consciousness that as a totality hold the unfathomable mystery of our existence, in the never-ending transformation of a deep intelligence in constant self-expression.

Through my work, I look forward to the spectator to engage with the pieces in its own unique way; there is no right or wrong, I am not giving any pre-established, predigest neural pathways in terms of familiar concepts, shapes, or color codes. Instead, the interpretation is open, unique, and personal and is meant to create an inner tension that forces the brain to work and produce its own meaning, to establish new patterns and create brand new connections.

And what other themes do you pursue with your art?

So far, I feel as an artist that I am only scratching the tip of the iceberg with this theme. The whole process of connecting with strange ideas that are seeking expression through me represents such an exciting experience that I feel compelled to continue to dive as deep as I can in its exploration. So, for the time being, I don't see myself exploring any other subject.

Eagle, Mixed media on canvas, 50x40 cm, 2019 © Shilowska Pretto

From My Perspective, Mixed media on canvas, 50x40 cm, 2017 © Shilowska Pretto

Where did you get your inspiration for these works?

Life's dilemmas are a powerful engine of creation for me. It always comes in some sort of material/ abstract loop. It starts with me dealing with a very complex web of lessons and events, struggling to cope with them as a physical being. Only being able to decode, integrate, and resolve them in the abstract plane, I experiment with myself as an abstract being. I find it fascinating how much information you're able to acquire when experimenting with the abstraction of your conscious mind. The result is a powerful urge to condense and communicate those conclusions in a material, tangible object through art.

How has your art evolved over the years?

I can say the strongest evolution of my work has been in terms of technique. I have a strong experimental approach. The intrinsic qualities of the different materials represent a deep source of inspiration for me. I don't find it interesting settling for one particular combination. The addition of every new material represents a big challenge because of their diverse nature; they go from materials used in the automobile industry to materials used in construction and couture. In order to create proper chemical reactions and orderly and tasteful compositions, I have to invest way more time and effort than if I was using more traditional mediums. So as I manage to master more materials, the complexity of my work evolves. My goal in every piece is to push boundaries of what is possible to create in a material as traditional as the canvas.

What artists influence or inspire your work the most?

Several times I've found myself gone, speechless, mesmerized for hours sitting in front of Francis Bacon's triptych at the Tate in London. It baffles me how someone can turn his head around in such a magnificent way! I admire immensely the ability to create something completely new, not just to copy something already here but to present it from a new perspective. His work is so strikingly odd and shocking that I find it incredibly inspiring.

Also, in terms of technique, I adore Turner. Those hundreds of strokes create such intensity of light, glow, and color in an absolutely perfect balance! Another stunning source of inspiration.

The Covid-19 pandemic clearly had an impact on the art world. Do you think it helped you promote your work to a different audience? And if so, how did you do it?

As I postulated in my artist statement, I've never felt too much identification with what surrounds me, including my timeline. So I'm always kind of living in the future. I envisioned this new reality a long time ago and was expecting it anxiously. I was eager to see the paradigm of locality fall. I've never embraced the limitations of country, physical location, language, etc., imposed by the previous mindset, so I felt very constrained in that old paradigm. When the pandemic struck, and I saw how strong and fast was forcing change upon every industry, system, and person, I felt we had finally arrived to that future. Two weeks into lockdown, I started receiving offers to participate in activities remotely and be part of very interesting art platforms and events. I found the whole situation very exciting. In addition to that, the shipping services get better and faster by the day, so I found myself under lockdown, connecting without tabus with so many people and shipping my work around the world. This new reality makes much more sense to me, the whole world at the disposal of every individual regardless of geographical location and nationality.

Did you take part in any online exhibition or art fair?

Yes, I'm currently part of various art platforms.

Who Are You, Mixed media on canvas, 50x40 cm, 2016 © Shilowska Pretto

Have you ever thought about moving to digital art and NFTs?

Definitely! I started two years ago creating video and digital art and found it fascinating! I started by making and editing videos of my pieces and then processing them digitally, forking the information over and over again, ending up creating very unusual, exciting visuals. The most stunning part was that, once again, I ended up creating creatures from another realm, just by playing with processing information with no conscious effort on my part, very much like how Chaos Theory works, starting up randomly and ending up with a very orderly outcome. This experience has been very revealing. I found it very interesting for the work to have its genesis in something organic produced by hand and then transition into something digital that has a whole life of its own. So yes, I will absolutely keep exploring this super cool outlet for my creativity.

And finally, what are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future?

Currently, I'm working on a massive triptych that represents a big challenge. Dramatically switching formats is not an easy task, but definitely a very exciting one. I'm also directing my focus toward a new collection inspired by this exciting new world we are entering and its rapid pace. My goal is always innovation, to keep pushing forward my way of expressing myself and my means to do it. Stagnation or complacency is not an option for me. There are so many resources, materials, mediums, and venues in our current reality for an artist to expand, mutate and evolve that I want to keep exploring them. My ultimate goal? To add real value to the world by creating something absolutely new without question. So, for the time being, my plans are to keep working, experimenting, and challenging myself in order to achieve that goal.

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