Raquel Sanchez: The surreal within the poetic real
Raquel Sanchez creates within the levels of Nature—some real and some surreal. Her work emits a sense, a feeling, a moment in time. It may be the moment capturing the momentum of landscape, of waterscape, or even the binding of the observer into a reliable frame of a moment. In the words of Picasso, “Ideas are simply starting points.” (from Brassaï “Conversations with Picasso”). Sanchez’s art captures spaces in spaces of time. It maintains a connection with archetypal moments and poetic renditions within and about landscapes. It is a “dance of moments”through the use of reflection and light, it is the previously seen and the not yet seen.
Sanchez begins with the canvas itself as spaces simultaneously relating to her inner space. She breathes, connects to a moment of time and so, this is where she breaks the canvas.” This is the first brush stroke.” Then there is light. She works to perfect the act of seeing and capturing light. Light is the glimmer within each moment that connects to the brokenness of space; shadows express the time within that moment.
Sanchez utilizes color as well as reflection to emulate movement and time. As light affects Nature, so too the light Sanchez interacts with, renders and illustrates her unique process to instil inspiration. The painting, creating an almost spiritual feeling, utilizes light to achieve is seemingly kinetic effect. Her art, by nature, is not making a particular statement rather it is a statement of the particular. Its message is of the inner self as it awakens, changing as this change occurs.
Yet the intuitive nature of her work at times transcends the kinetic. The art of intuitive nature is a process of painting whilst openly experiencing knowing without knowing... it is the present with all the permissions of the present to be the painter’s relationship with its development and its continuously developing conversation. The canvas speaks to, for and about the artist, and vice-versa,yet at times its subject matter may actuate distinctions. This relationship continues even once the brushes have been cleaned.
Intuition is an un-definable continuous comfort connected with the ambiguity we wear during moments of each day. We live this intuition undefined, with and without our active consciousness. It necessarily is connecting its subtle active process. It is this powerful drive that contains us within the un-containable. Intuitive painting is the amorphous and structure-less finding of place.
“When I was asked about the Intuitive Nature of my painting, I responded by speaking about capturing the surreal and placing it into the poetic real by allowing the canvas and paints to be particularly present in a dancing moment. I don’t create. I simply become part of creating.”
Uri Rosenbach
RAQUEL SANCHEZ
Born Paris, France
Grew up in New York, USA, Ibiza, Spain. Esouera, Morroco, London, UK, Caracas, Venezuela
Moved to Israel in 2013, Lives and works in Jerusalem
Education:
2004 PhD NYU
2001-11 Jake Freedman, Observation Drawing
2001-12 Spring Street School, Life Drawing
2001-13 Bruce Telekey, Painting & drawing
1981 Edward R. Murrow School of Art, New York, USA
Solo Exhibitions
2025 "Viewing Spirituality", The Artists' House, Tel Aviv
2024 “Many Waters”, The Artists' House, Rishon Le Zion
2022 "Light from Darkness", Rosenbach Contemporary, Jerusalem
2014 Solo exhibition, Nachlaot, Jerusalem
2013 Solo exhibition: 15 paintings, Emeq Refaim, Jerusalem
Select Group Exhibitions:
2025 "Thoughts about Home", HaMiklat Gallery, Jerusalem
2024 "Pirtza", Hamiffal, Jerusalem
2024 “Seeds of Summer”, Beit Yad L'banim, Rishon Letzion, curator: Adi Angel
2023 “Post-Renovation”, Rosenbach Contemporary
2022 “Light from Darkness”, Rosenbach Contemporary
2021 “Viewpoint”, Jerusalem Biennale "Four Cubits", Curator: Uri Rosenbach
2021 “Ominipresent”, Rosenbach Contemporary
2020 “New World Order: A Different Perspective”, Rosenbach Contemporary
2019 “Of Wonder”, Jerusalem Biennale, Curator: Mindy Weisel
2019 “See the voices” performance art with Kobi Arad and Daniel Zamir
2018 Group exhibition, "Viewpoint", Fresh Paint, Tel Aviv
2017 Group exhibition, "Recent works", Rosenbach Contemporary
2017 Group Exhibition, "Art in Embassy", US Ambassador's Residence, Israel
2015 Group exhibition, American Visions Gallery, NY
2015 “Tu b’shvat: Trees in the Bible” French Hill, Jerusalem, curator: Dr. Joseph R. Hoffman
2014 Solo exhibition, Nachlaot, Jerusalem
2013 Solo exhibition: 15 paintings, Emeq Refaim, Jerusalem
2011 Group exhibition, American Visions Gallery, NY
Awards and scholarships
1994 Member Israel Association of Writers in English
2013 Ministry of Culture residency
2014 Member International Artists’ Union
2015 Member Israeli Professional Visual Artists Association
Publications (poetry)
Collections:
Ambassador David Friedman Family Collection, USA
Assorted private collections in USA, Israel and Europe