The Invisible Visible – Margarita Rossello
We look at each other, at the surrounding spaces, and the things within them. We read different sign jungles with our gaze, where various norms are encoded. We immediately notice if something deviates or stands out in some way. We make quick assumptions about each other just by looking. We easily categorize people into different boxes without truly knowing them. However, the gaze can still deceive us, even though we give it so much power. Every person has different roles, some of which they might not even be aware of. Life is like a series of performances, watched by others who push them forward. What is ultimately real, and what is not? We can look at a woman, but how do we know if she is a woman, and how does that knowledge affect how we relate to her? How do we look at someone who somehow deviates from the dominant norm? Our gaze doesn’t always recognize the person as the same without all the surrounding props and costumes, the bare essence beneath.
In the works of the exhibition, we peek through the gaze and signs at society’s expectations of men and women—what they should be like so that their roles don’t break. Ultimately, it’s about humanity.
As an artist, Rosselló Ramón is intrigued by several questions, such as the simultaneity of presence and absence, the boundaries between femininity and masculinity, the tension between beauty and ugliness, and the interface between art and design. She finds “gender clichés,” such as the idea that a woman’s place is at home with children, or that a man shouldn’t be complimented as handsome, particularly fascinating. In her works, she emphasizes and highlights these ideas, raising the question of whether these thoughts have really disappeared from society or if it has simply changed, as we are led to believe. She draws her thoughts from feminist theories, philosophy, art theory, small articles in magazines, and observations of her surroundings. Everyday moments fall under the magnifying glass.
Her works often intertwine with feminist conceptual art, and she primarily uses modified found objects. The most important material is textile, to which she combines photography and embroidery. She uses a lot of ready-made materials, such as old clothes, to which she adds something, creating a new meaning. It is important for her that the object has some kind of history of use, which either strengthens or transforms as it becomes part of the artwork. Every stain, wear, time-worn hole, and wrinkle plays a significant role in the whole, which is hidden away. Each of these is part of the story that the artwork tells. The works can be approached in many different ways. The artist wants to leave room for the possibility that there are always multiple contexts, and that the context can be experienced lightly or more deeply, depending on the viewer. At the artist’s works, it’s allowed to smile, even though the underlying themes are serious.
Rosselló Ramón (1982) is originally from Raah, and now lives and works as a visual artist in Turku. She graduated as a designer from the Turku Academy of Fine Arts and as a Master of Arts from the Aalto University School of Arts. She held her debut exhibition in 2005, and since then, she has held numerous solo exhibitions and participated in group exhibitions.
Translated with ChatGPT