Alessia Camoirano Bruges is an Italian-Colombian artist based in London. She has lived in many places, each one inspiring her deeply. Her work explores identity and human experiences with the aid of colours and emotional response. Alessia graduated from the University of the Arts London where she studied film and TV, and learned how colours impact on our emotions and moods. She then found fluid art, which she related to deeply. She combines, colours, fluidity and emotional intensity into her arts practice, and sees each artwork as a cathartic experience in which she is able to connect to her inner child and let go of anything that holds her back by “simply” being present.
Find more of Alessia’s work at www.alessiacamoirano.com, on Instagram at @intenseartalessia and at her blog, https://www.alessiacamoirano.com/blog-1.
Artist’s statement:
My collection started because I wanted to explore what belonging means and why it is so important. Researching, I found that belonging is a defining need for our identity which helps us to cope with intense emotions, and shapes our social identity and our idea of the self, our health and so much more. Belonging is one of the most important human experiences and needs alongside love.
With this painting, Leaving Again, I wanted to capture the emotions I feel each time I leave home. Being a mixed-heritage woman who has travelled since I was a child, home has often been a confused place for me. It is as if I am constantly leaving traces of myself around the world, unsettled. That said, as I grew up, I started to realise that all those different parts actually made me who I am and I embraced them fully; using every colour and leaving behind greyness.
Each time I go back to London and see my family saying goodbye at the airport in Italy, each time I say goodbye to my Colombian family without knowing when I’ll see them again, and each time I go back, everything seems the same but is not. I feel like I am always leaving again, but I’m always coming back. This painting is about the first and last hug; the moment I look behind me and see them waving at me before leaving, thinking about them as I sit watching the clouds pass by me; and the moment I land and go back to the life I created for myself, knowing that I will see them again soon.
I used to use my arts practice, at first, as a way to cope with my own personal and existential questions. Later I realised that many feel intensely like I do. I believe that the role of the artist is to serve others by offering multiple ways to cope, so I wanted to share my work and just be there for those who need it. Leaving Again is a 40x40cm painting, and I approached it with intuition, without knowing which colours or movements to use ahead of time. I delved into my emotions and listened to music which reminded me of Italy and Colombia in order to connect with myself on a deeper level and let go of my emotions.
© Alessia Camoirano Bruges, 2020
be:longing 