Meet Vania Evangelique | Visual Explorer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Vania Evangelique and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vania, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Ah such a beautiful question, as I’ve grown in my own journey–and subsequently in my artistic practice–I’ve learned to continue to welcome risk with open arms. I think I always have though, even as a child I remember always throwing myself wholeheartedly into the task at hand, learning all the ins and outs of a subject, practicing until I was perfect at it (or at least more intentional than my peers at the time).

Nowadays my risks look a bit different, they feel more calculated, and not in the way that’s seen as fearful, but I follow it in a way that one would follow the breadcrumbs towards a greater dream! I’ve been blessed at times to see my next, and in starting my artist career here in Pittsburgh I’ve been grateful enough to be around mentors and other artists who allow me to dream big and support me in making those dreams happen!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My practice, in its rawest form, focuses its foundation on the idea of looking away to look back. I create works that move myself towards the future, while also stepping outside of the present, and in so doing, being able to create and draw parallels from my past that tell of a more dynamic and vulnerable story. I look beyond the mere creation of art and center my work into the personhood of it, that is often found in the mundane, transitional, and sometimes stretching processes of life. My art is less about the materials and more about the feeling that one gets when you experience it. These days I gravitate towards painting and sculptural mediums as the primary ways I express my art because of the full body experience I get to have; from painting on large canvases and the movement of my body required, to mixing colors imagined, and being able process an idea in parts and in wholes.
Photography and writing remains an anchor to my creative processes, giving me a way to get my ideas out of my head and to play around with them in fun ways. Almost like a rough draft and planning phase before diving into the real thing!

I’m humbled by the fact that in creating I have the opportunity to become a “creator”, to bring an idea that’s in my head and see it start to unfold! To be honest, I don’t consider myself a professional (even though I guess i am), but really just a person who gets to make really amazing art and has the opportunity to show it publicly. I think that’s how I’ve been able to be successful, remaining open minded, allowing my body and mind to go through it’s natural rhythms, exploring new concepts and ideas with consistency, and also being surrounded by a wonderful community of artists and people that shift when I shift.
To get to where I”m at right now wasn’t necessarily easy, but it was required, like all good things there’s gonna be some pain that comes with it. I just decided that the pain of working towards my goals and accomplishing them was better than staying stagnant.

What I’d like the world to know about me is something that I’ve just recently discovered (and hope others do too), that you can do anything that you’re called to do. That with just some consistency and kindness, all things are possible. And being able to make beautiful thing along the way is just the natural by product of all the good that you’ve sown!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m a natural girl myself, so I’m always imagining this visit happening in the summer! An early morning hike at Fall Run Park out in Etna, it’s about a mile but there is a so many wonderful nooks, wildlife, and the waterfall is always a nice touch!
After, we’d snag a brunch at either the Abbey on Butler (which has some amazing breakfasts on Sundays!) or at The Speckled Egg.
We might check out the galleries along Penn Avenue in Garfield and those that make up the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust! Maybe catch a free jazz show Tuesday evening at The Cabaret and maybe on a Thursday eat some good food at 40 North and enjoy some sounds of free jazz!
Dinner at Spirit and Tales in Oakland over looking the view of the city is always a nice touch!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’ve appreciated the mentorship provided to me by Natalie Sweet, Executive Director of Brewhouse Association! Being apart of their Distillery Artist Residency and then after participating in their Prospectus program for emerging curators has really equipped me as an artist. It’s allowed me to be more confident in my own artistic voice, and gave me the skills to be able to both effectively and efficiently articulate all my delicate and creative visions.

Instagram: www.instagram.com/vania_eva_

Image Credits
Lay Bare portrait was taken by Tara Bennett (her instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tarabennett13/ )