Sonia Almeida

Lives and works in Arlington, MA, USA

Artist statement

My paintings, artist books, and textile works mine non-verbal forms of communication, symbolism, and abstraction. By repeating a personal constellation of motifs to enact slippages in translation, I explore the ways in which shared cultural conditions and assimilation can splinter into plural realities, resulting in miscommunication and continuous efforts at interpretation. After leaving Portugal, my home country, in 2001, I am interested in the complexities of the immigrant/emigrant dichotomy, the use of the hybrid Portuguese/English language in oral expression, as well as the loss of language in second and third generations. I’m deeply influenced by the book format, by ideas of knowledge production, image reproduction, sequencing, and duration, as well as exhibition structures inspired by the book page. I have been making books since 1995, and have a large body of handmade books, printed book editions, and collaborative projects with my students. Most of my sculptural pieces use the architecture of the book page as a starting point. These works include mechanisms such as hinges to present two-sided paintings, sliding devices that animate two overlapping sections of a painting, textile artworks with pockets, and drawers with woodcuts embedded within. Gradually, my paintings have ceased to present themselves as static and untouchable objects, converting the visitor into an agent directly responsible for the result of the artistic experience, through touch, displacement,...

Artwork