Manuela Solano's journey as an artist is a profound exploration of adapting to change and redefining creative boundaries. After experiencing vision loss, she pioneered a unique painting methodology that fuses her rich internal world with physical, tactile cues, transforming her artistic practice into a dynamic collaboration between memory, imagination, and innovation.
Unveiling New Perspectives: Art That Transcends Vision
A New Vision for Artistic Creation: Embracing Tactile Guidance in Painting
Manuela Solano, an artist who navigates the world without sight, crafts her compelling imagery using a distinctive approach. She employs a variety of tactile elements such as nails, adhesive tape, and pipe cleaners to guide her brushstrokes, meticulously outlining facial contours or the defined musculature of a figure. This intuitive process, a collaboration with her team, allows her to trust that her artistic intentions will materialize on canvas. Solano describes this method as liberating, allowing for a more fluid and enjoyable creative experience, where shapes are formed with greater spontaneity.
From Darkness to Canvas: Memory and Imagination as Solano's Artistic Compass
At the age of 26, a medical incident resulted in Solano's complete loss of sight. This profound life change spurred a significant evolution in her artistic practice. She now draws deeply from her memories and boundless imagination, channeling her personal reflections, desires, and self-perceptions into her vibrant paintings. For Solano, every piece of art is, at its core, a self-portrait, reflecting her inner landscape and how she connects with the world around her.
Capturing a Process: A Glimpse into Solano's Evolving Studio
A poignant short film, created by Barbara Anastacio for T Magazine in 2018 (prior to Solano's gender transition), offers an intimate look at her artistic process within her former Mexico City studio. The film showcases Solano reviewing her earlier works, created before her vision loss in 2014, highlighting the continuity and evolution of her artistic journey from her student days to her current practice. This visual narrative underscores the resilience and adaptability inherent in her creative spirit.
Echoes of the Past, Innovations for the Future: Landscapes and Textures in Solano's Work
Solano's sketchbooks reveal a consistent thread of snowy landscapes and introspective portraits, themes that resonate powerfully in her contemporary pieces. Paintings like "Walking on Water" revisit the expansive vistas of her earlier period, with undulating ripples conveying the movement of the sea. She emphasizes the ongoing learning within her studio, where she and her team constantly explore novel techniques to render textures and effects, pushing the boundaries of what is achievable in painting.
Identity in Flux: The Complex Tapestry of Self-Portraits
Her recent solo exhibition, Egogénsis, in Madrid, featured a series of self-portraits that eloquently depict the intricate journey of identity. In these works, gender fluidity is a prominent theme, and the profound connection between humanity and the natural world is intrinsically woven into the fabric of her figures, as elements of the environment seem to meld with her subjects. Solano’s art serves as a powerful commentary on the multifaceted nature of selfhood.
The Ever-Shifting Canvas of Memory: A Universal Artistic Experience
While Solano frequently draws upon her memories, she clarifies that this practice is not unique to her. She notes the common understanding that memories are dynamic, shifting each time they are recalled. This universal phenomenon, she argues, means that everyone confronts the challenge of remembering past events differently from their actual occurrence, making memory a shared, mutable foundation for artistic expression.
Berlin's Influence and the Genesis of New Images: Beyond Recollection
Having recently relocated to Berlin, Solano integrates her daily experiences and dreams into her current artistic endeavors. This blend of past imagery and present reality continuously generates fresh compositions. She addresses a common misconception that her art is solely about painting what she once saw. Solano firmly asserts that her work is not merely a recollection of memories but a constant creation of new images, challenging any ableist assumptions about the limitations of her artistic output due to her blindness.
Words and Visuals Converge: Solano's Multifaceted Artistic Expression
Beyond her painting, Solano is also an accomplished writer, often composing poetry and narratives to complement her visual art. She recently authored a manifesto for her upcoming series, Blind Transgender and Wild. For those in Mexico City, her pop-culture inspired works will be on display at Museo Tamayo until January 4, before traveling to CAAC Sevilla in 2026. Further examples of her compelling art can be found on her Instagram.
