Ashley Mauricia journey to Stockholm
Curaçao visual artist Ashley Mauricia left Curaçao on the 5th of August 2017 and is entering a new phase in his artistic career. He is traveling first to Amsterdam and later to Stockholm, in Zweden.
Since 2004 Ashley has had his studio in one of the vaults of the Waterfort in Punda, the so called Boogjes. In one of the chambers he has created his most important work, an installation representing his own universe. When entering this room, you are stepping into a world where all his paintings and sculptures seem to be present. It is like stepping into his mind and experiencing his thoughts, visions and endeavors first hand.
The universe, space and form have always been an important focus in his oeuvre. From his first solo exhibition in 1989 to the last work he finishes before leaving the island. Especially in his paintings Ashley often offers a peek into an area where forms, objects and symbols are floating in a different universe, as a reference to our own limitations in the vastness of space.
Ashley will be first staying in Amsterdam, where he will work on a brand new series of artworks. Later he will also travel to Stockholm where a prestigious art gallery has shown great interest in his work. Apart from this he also has plans to create courses for children and adults. Another of his ideas is to realize an artwork in a public space. But most important is his desire to further develop his creativity and artistic idiom.
Although Ashley knows he is embarking on a new adventure, he finds himself fully focused and ready for the challenge. He feels confident about the future and all the possibilities it is offering.
Curaçao Art wishes him every succes in his future artistic career.
Click here for the artist page of Ashley Mauricia.
Click here for his project: World Longest Painting in 2013.
Biographical information
Ashley Mauricia (1961) grows up in Soto. As a teenager he moves to the States where he lives with his father in California. When he is 20 years old he returns to Curaçao with the ambition to become an artist. His receives a commission at the Sea aquarium centre to paint the background of the fish tanks.
With a scholarship from the government he is able to go to the art academy in Venezuela where he graduates in 1991. Back in Curaçao he becomes a teacher at the local art academy, Akademia di Arte and establishes himself as a visual artist. For a little while he also runs an art gallery in Brievengat. When the local art academy is forced to close in 2005, Ashley starts a hunger strike, unfortunately to no avail.
Since 2004 he has his studio at the Plasa Piar in Punda. He also holds a job as an art teacher at a local high school. In 2013 he organizes the World Longest Painting, which is in fact a Caribbean challenge. Public, sponsors and artists from all over the globe join to create a 2 km long painting at the Helmin Magno Wiels Boulevard.
At the end of 2016 he realizes that he has to move on and he starts making preparations for his next move. In August 2017, he moves to Europe with the intention to explore his possibilities in cities like Amsterdam and Stockholm.
