About

Biography

Andrea Hurtarte, born to Guatemalan parents in 1988, is an imminent visual artist practicing in her hometown of Montreal. Although her passion for painting and drawing started at a very early age, her love for watercolour really flourished during her studies at Rio de Janeiro’s Federal University School of Fine Art and has continually led to a profound exploration of the medium. Hurtarte’s artwork has a strong sense of spatial depth due to her architectural training in the Master's Professional Program at the Université de Montréal. She is currently operating her own studio, ANML, to pursue an exploration between the juxtaposition of spontaneity and the possibilities of the line, as finite or infinite agent.

Artist statement

Andrea Hurtarte’s work creates a refined tension between lucid and flowing forms, inciting a shift of perception between the superimposed layers of content. Using specific vehicles for color and expression, the guiding dark lines define, while the fluid watercolor traces generate a sense of spontaneity. The compositions are intended to have multiple readings; the seemingly opposing components demand the viewer to actively perceive the image in their minds.

The deconstructed color palette evokes the human skin and concurrently creates space for a timeless nude body. The work alludes to Kandinsky, Japanese calligraphy, as well as the Wabi-sabi aesthetic, through the simplicity of lines and use of color that effortlessly define space. A thorough comprehension of depth and space making, unencumbered by detail, was gained through her architectural training and has influenced her unique artistic vocabulary, with nods to the Bauhaus movement.

Hurtarte’s emotionally evocative work aims to draw in the viewer by revealing intimate situations, aspects of the human experience, and evidence of the mindset/process of the artist.