ia Llamozas
Bio: María Sylvia Llamozas A.K.A ia Llamozas, was born in 1983 and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. Having grown up in a tropical country, very near to the ocean and surrounded by exuberant vegetation and fauna, she fell in love with nature. Throughout her life, she has also been fascinated by art and storytelling, which drove her to study Journalism.
Once graduated, she moved to Barcelona, Spain, she delved into the practice of collage art. What she cherishes the most from this medium is the ability to tell stories through the images that she collects and puts together with artistic joy.
In 2020, ia started to teach online courses on how to create collage and everything about this wonderful medium. With more than 350 students worldwide, what she loves the most is helping others to express themselves and find joy and calm through the act of creating. She primarily works with corporate teams and has been lucky to host experiences for companies such as Apple, Intel, Yelp, Etsy, and Target among others. Her work has been exhibited in several cities in Spain including Madrid, where her work was selected by “La Colect” for its collective exhibition of emerging artists in Madrid (2015), and Barcelona, where she won 1st place in a collective exhibition of Ibero-American artists (June 2018). She has also created content for brands like Airbnb and Neubau Eyewear, as well as created editorial illustrations for magazines such as Vogue Spain. Selected press features include interviews with The Art Gorgeous and The Jealous Curator.
She currently lives in Tenerife on the Canary Islands with her husband and French bulldog Lola, where she creates from her home studio.
Artist Statement: I like to tell stories with my artwork. Whether it is breaking an image to combine it with something new or playing with cutouts or cyanotypes, paper as a medium allows me to create and treasure the ordinary. For me, my artworks are all about joy. By mixing many colors and creating compositions from unexpected common objects, I aim to create an atmosphere that is inspiring and that connects people to the essence of joy. A page in a magazine, a leaf on the floor, or an object from the past. My art seeks to exalt these little, common things by encouraging people to see them differently and making us appreciate something that could otherwise be easily overlooked. They serve as a gentle reminder to live and enjoy the present moment.
Searching for materials is a big part of my creative process. Whether it's making my own paper, or being in nature, I love to search for leaves, flowers, and branches that are incredibly beautiful but are about to wither. I like to preserve them so I can include them in my work. I also use images from magazines which is another quest I love to dive into. Flea markets, kiosks, and specialized stores, the selection process is very intuitive. I let myself go. It's almost a visceral instinct that makes me connect with an image, something that inspires me and that I follow blindly. As for mindset, I focus on being present and mindful of what I am creating, as well as the feelings of joy and positivity that I aim for my art to inspire.
