Alina Schiau

« The invisible exists. » This is the conviction that runs through Alina Schiau's work.

She is fascinated by everything that inhabits us without always revealing itself: the memories that sometimes leave only a sensation, the emotions that pass through us, the stories that precede us, the absences that continue to be present, the legacies that are passed down from one generation to another and shape our way of being in the world.

What inhabits us

We are inhabited by much more than we are aware of. Some things belong to us. Others have been transmitted to us. They coexist within us, intertwining with our experiences and contributing to shaping our perspective, our sensitivity, and our identity. She seeks to make this invisible part of existence perceptible.

Painting in layers

Her works are constructed layer by layer. Some appear while others withdraw, but none completely disappear. What has been covered remains present and continues to act on the whole. "I paint as I exist: in layers."

Words also occupy a central place in her work. Each canvas begins with a phrase of intention written on the gesso, which the paint gradually covers. In the end, another phrase responds to it, engraved in the fresh material. It remains present, sometimes barely legible, like certain experiences, certain memories, or certain emotions that continue to live within us without always being accessible. Absence also has a presence.

Between the visible and the invisible

She does not seek to provide answers. For her, painting is a space of exploration. A way to approach what connects us, transforms us, and profoundly constitutes us. When someone stops in front of a work and tells her: "I don't know why, but it touches me," then something has taken place. It is in this space, between the visible and the invisible, that her work takes shape.