Between memory and experimentation

Carmen Hernadez is an artist who is able to communicate her lived experience through a unique and personal visual language. Born in the Dominican Republic, she moved to Italy in her early twenties and is now living and working in Versilia. Her art practice represents two different worlds: her Caribbean roots, full of vibrant color and symbolism, and the European influence that contributed to her technical and conceptual evolution. Chernandez’s early work is characterized by a figurative and expressionist approach, with color dominating the composition, giving life to vivid landscapes and fragments of her childhood in the Dominican countryside.

But as the years passed, her artistic journey evolved towards a more abstract approach and the medium of painting took on a more fundamental role in her work. Her unique style of painting is defined by her ability to combine abstract techniques with figurative representation, through a constant dialogue between symbols, form and material. Using non conventional materials and experimenting with mixed-media techniques, Chernandez creates spaces, and the cracks between them, generating vibrant surfaces where time and memory seem to stratify.

Before dedicating herself completely to her art practice, Chernandez worked in the fashion industry, designing beautiful garments for notable Italian firms. This experience is reflected in her artistic approach. Her extensive research of shape and motion lends a distinctive element to her paintings. Her use of texture and manipulation of materials, reflect her experience with tailoring, where the detailing and layering create a unique visual harmony.

Thanks to frequent visits to the city of Pietrasanta and the studios of the important artists who call it their home, she has perfected her pictorial technique, mastering the relationship between subject and space.

Chernandez has participated in many group exhibitions and been awarded numerous painting prizes, exhibiting in prestigious venues such as Il Parco della Versiliana, La Fondazione Arte Visive di Pietrasanta, Il Museo Ugo Guidi and Il Logos Arte di Forte dei Marmi. In 2023, she participated in events such as “Artisti del Vecchio e Nuovo Mondo” at Villa Cambiaso di Savona and at La Rassegna di Arte Contemporanea through the Museo Galleria Bellini di Firenze. In 2024 she exhibited in the group exhibition “Terre di Versilia” at Palazzo Paolina in Viareggio; the 3rd Biennale di Arte Contemporanea at the Museo Francesco Gonzaga in Mantova; in “la Moda, la Figura e l’Astrazione; in the Biennale internazionale di Montecarlo as part of the “Palma d’oro per le arti visive”; and at Arte a Padova - Contemporary Art Show. The artistic career of Carmen Hernandez is an exploration of memory and experimentation, through her roots and innovation. Her work is characterized by its strong visual impact and an extraordinary sensibility with materials, transformative stories, territory and identity. As her style evolves, she continues to explore new expressive forms, giving the public intense and poetic compositions that leave a deep mark on the soul of the viewer.