Marta L. Sanchez
Marta L. Sanchez, a self-taught visual artist and poet, was born in 1978 in the Republic of Panama. An African-American, Latina, of Caribbean descent, her life experience straddles rich cultures, full of diversity, giving her the unique and vibrant perspective she expresses in her work. She grew up surrounded by the brightly colored Panamanian land and seascape. Her life’s story is about survival, growth and true love, bound by the common thread of art used to transform trauma.
Featured Artist: Marta Sanchez
Survival Songs in Color
Captures the Resilient Human Spirit
Marta L. Sanchez’ artwork presents us with a world that is both hopeful and magical. These images reflect a universe that lays wide open for viewers, see “Siempre Hay Esperanza.” Her paintings are the portal through which she shares her trajectory from the devastating experience of sexual violence, through the empowering journey of survival, to the place where “Love Falls Like Raindrops.”
In the safe space of the canvas Sanchez has explored the issue of sexual violence from a survivor’s perspective. Inviting her audiences to empathize, she challenges victim blaming with images like “The Survivor,” who stands, virtually exposed, wearing only the crisscrossed tape from a crime scene. This painting is both declaration and plea. The Survivor boldly establishes that her body is a crime scene, and that no one should dare cross her again. Simultaneously, she requests respect as more than just the scene of the crime. She asks that her audience find humanity in her eyes, that they refrain from picking her apart, poking, prodding and exploring intimate spaces in her life.
Beyond impact, Sanchez work explores the strength of the human spirit. In her November 2006 exhibit “The Careful Reassembly of a Broken Sky,” her message centered on resilience. The work revolved around the concept of picking up the pieces, creating something beautiful from every single broken shard, as in “Darkness Never Wins”.
At heart she is an optimist. “Embracing Hope,” is Sanchez’ contribution to The Art of Surviving, a new exhibit, that will travel throughout Virginia sharing stories of victimization and healing through survivor’s artwork and poetry. On April 25, 2007, Sanchez will present “The Healing Power of the Arts,” in Charlottesville, VA as part of the exhibit’s lecture series.
Currently she is shifting the focus of her artwork, from detailing her own healing journey, to capturing the healing experiences of other survivors of sexual assault. She is compiling this information in a new series of paintings entitled Survival Songs in Color. This series is a collage style of work, similar to “Contemplating Flight,” which focuses on capturing the actual healing experience, not on the violence itself.
Survival Songs in Color is a collaboration. She is accepting written submissions from sexual violence survivors worldwide in English and Spanish. Paintings will be created to reflect this writing, each work of art capturing one survivor's story. The images created will weave song lyrics and poetry over symbols and representations of the things that empowered survivors during their healing process.
Providing a stark contrast to much of the dialogue regarding sexual violence, the focus of Survival Songs in Color will not be on the physical escape from violence. Emphasis will be on emotional strength, the beauty of survival, and the resilience of the human spirit.
The goal of the exhibit is to encourage both community healing, and emotional resource sharing.
Once completed, Survival Songs in Color will tour colleges, universities, crisis centers, shelters, libraries, museums, and community centers providing opportunities for dialogue on how to create safer communities.
For more information visit: www.poetryandart.org
Or e-mail: poetryandart@aol.com
Learn more about Marta Sanchez
She is a member of the National Association of Women Artists, and ALAS (Alianza Latina en contra a la Agresión Sexual).