B1 - Artist Conversation - Vivian Torres

Artist: Vivian Torres
Exhibition: Fuerza A Duo Painting Exhibition
Media: Canvas, acrlyic 
Gallery: LBSU School of Art, Gatov Gallery West
Website: viviantorresart.com
Instagram: @viivvv_

Vivian Torres is just beginning her journey as an artist by soon graduating from College of the Arts specifically the drawing and painting program. She is apart of the BFA program as well, so she will be preparing more paintings projects for the upcoming senior show. Torres explores the ideas of feminism through her abstract pieces. When she first came to CSULB she took a women's and gender studies class which ultimately inspired her to dive deeper into the empowerment of women. 

​Torres used a color scheme of warm tones such as pinks, purples, and blues to portray feminity. She uses acrylic on canvas to display her vision. To get the shape of her pieces she starts by draping multiple sheets on herself and photographs them to have flow throughout her work. Even though it is abstract she still creates leading lines that allow the eye to follow smoothly across the whole painting. Torres stated that since she uses fabrics as her inspiration that she wants to incorporate that into her future fabrics by possibly draping some fabric over the cavanas while mixing it with the painting. She did however, use some stitching on one of the smaller paintings which did add a unique element of texture.
Her pieces represent and explores the characteristic of feminism. Women can dance in the ideals of society. They flow with the way of life and what combats them. That’s why she uses the drapes to get the idea of flowiness across. To Torres it’s important that both male and female are these concepts to open their eyes and her art is a form to send the message out.
Torres art is very symbolic to the ideas of feminism because in my eyes they contain figures of women. Whether that be up close and just the face or the whole body. It is empowerment. I think her work is very compelling and makes you take a second to stop and observe what her paintings reveal. Her message will be always prevalent in present past and future because the women’s movement will always be there. It’s encouraging seeing women empower other women and strive for growth, so having a represent of that on campus is a beautiful thing.