(Chile)

“Artists are born and not made”

Chilean artist and graphic designer, Olivia Allamand, conducted Color MIX, a painting workshop for children and adults in the Plaza del Sol.

During her brief residence, we learned about the primary colors and all the mixtures and tones that can be created from them. She used recycled cardboard as a canvas for the drawings that were inspired from the environment, giving attendees a chance to explore their creative freedom. Sometimes she traced the outline of the characters at the request of the participants, and let the little ones do by themselves.

From the help of her personal assistant, her 5-year-old daughter, Julia, Olivia built a participatory environment, where it was so important that attendees learn to generate colors without any limit in their color palette. Participants collaborated, making creative decisions together. Every girl and boy was accompanied with an adult usually one of their parents. The creation and the game allowed for inclusion and equality, without generational hierarchies.

Painting for Allamand has always been a constant since she practices it since he was 9 years old. Letting the imagination run wild in the construction of characters, almost always inspired by people watching, in her daily coexistence with people and the environment. Always with a touch of humor and sarcasm and color always being the center of his personal language.