Vestía traje de punto ilusión

 

In Huelva, 'La Palmera' has become a kind of televised icon, reminiscent of the palm trees that line some Californian boulevard. An eternal summer in Mazagón. A glittering dream of a future pop diva, with the face of an anime warrior — Sakura or Sailor Moon — who is the protagonist of a literary precursor to today's telenovelas. This is a story set in the Caribbean during the era of slavery, whose soundtrack could well be a hit of reggaeton, dembow or jungle (...).

Mariem Iman's work invokes a multitude of references that, at first glance, might seem randomly selected. However, her sincere and unpretentious approach reveals mirror effects that intuitively connect geographic and temporal duplicities, giving rise to coherent narratives. Using accessible techniques such as collage, tracing, transparencies, photocopying and patchwork with diverse materials, the artist generates fictional worlds from aesthetic and cultural symbioses drawn from her immediate surroundings. The result is a deeply personal, biographical imaginary that resonates with audiences of all ages. Her connection to the city of Huelva — which is intertwined with and manifested through these allusions — made an exhibition of her work in the city inevitable. This exhibition therefore aims to present her artistic practice to the local public. Despite her youth, she is at a stage of evolution and maturation.

But Mariem Iman is also, and above all, an artist with a broad background, nourished by experiences in various cities of Spain and the Americas, a dual academic formation in art and anthropology, and a family lineage spanning Galicia, Serbia, and Ethiopia. Her point of departure — or rather, the thread that unifies this dispersed array — is an inspiration drawn from concrete female figures: mixed-race women who lived as enslaved persons and were accused of witchcraft, such as the 17th-century healer Paula de Eguiluz or Cecilia Valdés, the main character of the Cuban costumbrista novel from which the title of this exhibition is taken.

Historical or fictional, Mariem returns to these real women, finding them in the magic of the everyday and constructing alter egos from free associations. Although their presence is only subtly referenced, it is their reflection that illuminates the works through brightly colored aesthetic resources that verge on kitsch, channeling an adolescent and dreamlike mood, responding to a single question: What form might they, their aspirations, and their sensibilities take today?

The answer manifests in shifting declensions. Many of the works have a dynamic character, changing through the combinations from which they arise again and again. Drawing becomes fabric; embroidery comes to life on a photocopied surface. Although layering is a recurring resource, Mariem also leaves some areas deliberately unresolved, playing with transparencies and unfinished contours in many of her drawings. The processual nature of her series invites the viewer to pause and explore her creative development: there is something of automatic, repetitive writing and intuition at play, yet imbued with a cheerful, carefree spirit that is contagious. These suspended forms remain open — to be activated, completed, or diverted by the gaze of whoever encounters them.

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Works: Mariem Iman
Texts and curated by: Ángela Rodríguez Perea
June 26 – July 18 2025, Sala de la Provincia (Huelva)