Olalla Gomez Valdericeda

Olalla Gómez Valdericeda - What do you have in the head, 1

Técnica: Black ink on paper 250 gr

Biografía del Artista: Olalla Gómez Valdericeda is a Spanish artist born in 1985 in Madrid. She studied Fine Arts at the Complutense University of Madrid and currently lives and works in Berlin. Her work focuses on the exploration of the human figure, through the technique of drawing and painting. Olalla Gómez's style is characterized by a realistic and detailed approach, which seeks to capture the expression and emotion of her subjects. The artist mainly uses oil and charcoal, but also experiments with other techniques and materials. In addition, her work focuses on the human body, often portraying nude female figures in simple and elegant compositions. As for awards and recognitions, Olalla Gómez has received several scholarships and art residencies, including the Antonio Gala Foundation Artists' Residency in Córdoba and the International Art Residency at the Valparaíso Foundation in Mojácar. His work has also been exhibited in numerous collective and solo exhibitions in Spain, Germany and other European countries, highlighting his participation in the contemporary art fair ARCOmadrid.

The piece What do you have in your head is made up of a series of 10 ink drawings that refer to the botanical engravings of the 19th century. They are a taxonomy of weapons from different periods whose use in language is linked to the penis. All of them are accompanied by their definition and colloquial expressions. The weapon manifests the threat of the exercise of force, the reference to the space of masculine power and in the colloquial expressions, the confirmation that authority, the exercise of force and the masculine sex are interwoven in the most everyday of things. The artist herself explains how this direct relationship is in the very origins of our cultural tradition: “In the Roman Empire the fascis was the birch weapon carried by the police of the time but the same name was also given to the penis. This root is in the word fascism and in the word fascination.”