Polett Zapata
Artist
Ecuador
Tell us about yourself, who are you, where are you from?
I am Polett Zapata, an Ecuadorian plastic artist. I am 26 years old, I am a shy person who expresses his feelings through images which are almost always women with intriguing eyes.
Diverse women have always been present in my work, in which I show them empowered, flourishing together, accompanying each other in growth processes.
How would you define your artistic practice, what do you want to convey with your works?
My artistic practice is endless experimentation with various techniques, I always love being able to explore with various materials, but painting, drawing and illustration are always present. In this era of pandemic I learned to embroider which was something wonderful since I was able to draw through the threads, where I learned to be patient, to know myself because for me embroidery is a healing practice where you self-explore your feelings.
Diverse women have always been present in my work, in which I show them empowered, flourishing together, accompanying each other in growth processes. My work is based on experiences that I have had throughout my life as a woman, it is an introspective process where I show male chavinist experiences, tabu topics for society such as menstruation.
Also in my work I explore what the self-portrait is, where it is reflected all my changes of mind are present in my works. I have very linear self-portraits and only with pencil; and others with a lot of color. I associate this with the state of mind that I was going through with the experience of the moment.
Tell us how your polii lunar brand came about
Everything arose at a super dark moment in my life where I believed that I was wrong in my career, since I felt that what I was doing was not going to get anywhere, I was not sure of my works I was always self-criticizing what I painted. Almost all my paintings were hidden or kept. But one day a person saw my work, congratulated me and told me 'you have a lot of talent' and that's when I decided to show my work through social networks.
The name Polii lunar was born as a play on my name which is a bit strange, so I conjugated it in polii because my friends call me that and lunar is because I have many moles on my face which are my identification as a person
My artistic name and my brand grew during the pandemic since I dedicated myself to doing a lot of work, I produced work every day, which made many people start to know me.
To sustain myself economically as an artist I decided to create several products of my works, I made printed t shirts with my illustrations, prints, embroidered hats, handkerchiefs, tote bags, metal pins. I am always exploring new possibilities to create sustainable pieces, what I like the most about creating my products is I am generating micro-employment, because I work with people who sublimate my image, who embroider the edges, sell me the fabrics, in the end we all win.
What is your source of inspiration?
I have a lot of inspiration from several Ecuadorian and foreign female artists
I always try to see what other people do because for me it is a new learning, it is important to always have artistic references, but also my work is based on film references since I am a lover of the seventh art . I love to learn how to use the cinema the color, framing, composition for me the painter and the cinema are extremely linked.
Could you tell us about some of your references My references from Ecuador are
Vera Primavera artist and illustrator
Claudia Fuentes illustrator
Hello Patrice graphic designer
3d illustrator 3d
International artists
Paula Rego plastic artist
Louise Bourgeois plastic artist
Nai Nai Colombian artist and illustrator
Hope Gangloff artist
To finish, what would you say to the people who want to dedicate themselves to art and to the artists who are already in the middle
Well, to the people who are going to enter the artistic world that they must be persistent because it is a super hard area where there will not always be support from society, but if it is what you are passionate about, just do it, since in the end you will see the results if you do it with love and resistance.
For artists who are already in the artistic environment, just telling them to be cooperative, supporting each other will make our career continue in struggle, that they continue to create wonderful things that are so much needed at this time.
Art is the only thing that will save humanity from collapse, for a world where our vibrations are full of colors and art.
IG: @p.o.l.i_lunar