By ARABELLA SERRATA
Staff Writer
Art Business Incubator on South Padre Island [ABISPI] is slated to hold a solo exhibition called “Wonderland: A Hopeless Romantic Take on the World” on Saturday, Aug. 10 from 6-9 p.m. The event is family-friendly and free. Appetizers and drinks will be provided.
The artist whose work will be exhibited is Viviana Sanguino. She is a young artist who has worked with the Art Business Incubator for a year and has been painting for twelve years. According to Sanguino, the exhibition has been in the making since the end of March.
Sanguino was born and raised in Mexico City. She took after her mother and found her own unique way with the paintbrush. Her mother was an artist but had to pause her craft to care for her daughter.
“I was always drawn to painting. I would use every blank notebook at my house,” said Sanguino.
She recalls seeing her mother’s large pastel paintings around her house.
“I think I just wanted to be like my mom,” said Sanguino.
While she was at school, she would exchange her artwork for sweets. As time went on, she continued to do art and got better as she went.
Sanguino draws inspiration from everything around her, specifically cozy corners of the world like coffee shops and bookstores.
“Flowers and female figures… especially [ones] that I can relate to,” added Sanguino.
She says she takes inspiration from everything around her and turns it into a reflection of herself and her life.
Sanguino chose the name “Wonderland” after the book, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll. Sanguino chose the name because of how she relates to Alice going into a world where “nothing makes sense” while
growing into herself as a person.
Sanguino has been living on South Padre Island for a year.
“I had lived in Mexico City my whole life. Coming over here was like my wonderland,” said Sanguino.
She says that she had a certain image of the Island in her mind, and much like Wonderland, nothing quite made sense to her. The lively ocean landscapes and “giant flowers” create a “surreal place, kind of like Wonderland,” according to Sanguino.
Now, Sanguino gets to display her art in her personal wonderland, an event that even she can’t believe is happening.
“It feels crazy that people connect to it – that people want to see it,” said Sanguino.
When she makes art, Sanguino strives to create a picture of her feelings and leave it out for someone in the world to see, and hopefully relate to.
The exhibit will show the “best parts of Alice in Wonderland,” leaving the audience feeling magical, according to Sanguino. The event will have a tea party with pastries from the Sunrise Bakery and refreshments supplied by the SPI Wine Bar. Sanguino wanted to create a wondrous atmosphere while utilizing the local establishments.
“I want to make people feel like magic is real,” said Sanguino.
Sanguino primarily works with watercolor and gouache. She paints women with varying features -ones that she can resonate with, as well as sea creatures with fantastical features.
“I have done seahorses with stars in their eyes, and women dressed by the ocean,” said Sanguino.
ABISPI and Sunrise Bakery are currently the only places Sanguino’s art is on display, and she plans on having her art at the SPI Wine Bar by the end of October. Sanguino’s experience at the Incubator has been hugely educational.
It pushed her to develop the business side of her passion when she previously focused more on the “skill of creating.” ABISPI helped Sanguino establish a brand and craft her recognizable image. Sanguino hopes that all who see the show feel “as wonderful and as magical as the show is meant to make you feel”
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