The multidisciplinary art of Sonia Navarro (Puerto Lumbreras, Murcia, 1975) explores with particular interest the possibilities offered by the textile tradition rooted in the feminine universe. In 2023 he received the BMW Painting Prize, which this year celebrates its 40th edition.
When did you realize that you would dedicate yourself to art?? Forever. I was a girl and I already felt a special connection with art.
Which artists or works would you recommend to approach current art? The important thing is to approach with curiosity, without fear of not understanding everything right away. Many times it’s more about feeling than looking for exact answers.
With which three adjectives would you define your work? Reflective (identity). Respectful (memory and feminism). Textile.
What other work of art would you have liked to create? Any work by Louise Bourgeois.
Are there unwanted works of art? Yes, of course it exists, in a historical or political sense. Undesirable due to their authoritarian nature.
Looking back on your work, what would you say have been your recurring obsessions? Memory, roots, invisibility and rurality.
What’s the nicest thing someone has said to you about your job? That my work is an appeal to women’s work and to that universe of domestic isolation where silent, anonymous and undervalued work is carried out by society.
And the most extravagant thing? I do not know.
What have you learned about the art world that you couldn’t learn from a book? The work.
What book do you have open on your bedside table? Beautyby Frédéric Schiffter; The galleryby Nacho Ruiz e The scorpions, by Sara Barquinero.
One you couldn’t finish? I couldn’t finish many of them, and in Spanish. Elementary particlesby Michel Houellebecq.
What film have you seen the most times? Wanting to love, by Wong Kar-Wai.
If you had to use a song or piece of music as a self-portrait, what would it be? Dancing barefoot, by Patti Smith.
The last series you watched in one sitting? The route.
What is socially overrated? Money and fame.
What historical event do you admire most? The right to vote for women.
Do you have any cultural guilty pleasures? Sneak into museums.
To which artist would you award the Velázquez Prize? Teresa Lancetta.
If he hadn’t dedicated himself to art he would be… I don’t know exactly, but something related to creation.
