“I strip myself of my identity, but I can be whoever the spectators want. I have a lot of possible new identities except my original.”
—Andrea Torres BalaguerIn this captivating self-portrait, an elegant figure wears a white, sculptural blouse with her back turned and head hidden by a candy pink brushstroke against a dark background. For Spanish artist Andrea Torres Balaguer (b.1990), The Unknown, her first series using painted brushstrokes, is about ‘the identity concept and the importance of it when we are talking about a portrait.’ In this meticulous composition, the intricate folds of her blouse and disruption of the brushstroke take centre stage while the atmospheric use of light and shadow evokes an enticing sense of mystery that recalls the 17th-century painters of the Spanish Golden Age. Staging herself as anonymous characters, Torres provides no fixed or clear meaning as seen here, transporting us to another dimension. Based in Barcelona, Torres has collaborated with such leading publications as ELLE, Marie Claire and AD. Her works have been widely exhibited, including at the Museum of Montserrat (2018), and reside in the collection of Fundació Vila Casas in Barcelona.
