Bruna Truffa’s “Wonderland” Paintings

Chilean painter and visual artist Bruna Truffa combines imagery gathered from art history, popular culture and everyday life to present critiques on modern society and the institution of art itself. Flavored with kitsch, her works have previously explored notions of national identity, propaganda, consumerism and the contemporary feminine experience. In her latest series of oil-on-canvas paintings, the artist addresses ideas behind “Wonderland”, described as a “fantasy wonderland and illusion, the dream of happiness, and the unfulfilled promise of the neoliberal realization.”

The paintings are part of a two-person exhibition, featuring Truffa’s work alongside fellow artist and longtime collaborator Rodrigo Combezas. Titled Wonderland, the exhibition is currently on view at the Museo des Artes Visuales in Santiago through August 24, 2016. Truffa has exhibited extensively in her native Chile as well as in Brazil, Ecuador, France, Germany, Mexico and Spain.

In Wonderland, idyllic landscapes rendered in cheery, bright colors evoke a sense of nostalgia for a world that is built on illusion. The works are characterized by mirroring and imitation, projecting images onto the reflective surface of water or viewing the subject through a kaleidoscopic lens to produce optical effects.

One will also find references to historical works of art and popular iconography, such as the Infant Margaret Theresa from Diego Velázquez’s “Las Meninas” in “The Dreams of Teresa” and the Sacred Heart in “Serendepeti A”. Other works incorporate text and logos, such as “Paramount”, which alludes to the fictional worlds created by Paramount Studios and Hollywood filmmakers.

Born María Inés Bruna Truffa Sola, the artist earned her Bachelor of Arts in painting from the Institution of Contemporary Art in Santiago. Her work is part of the permanent collections in the museums of contemporary art in Chiloé, Valdivia and Santiago in Chile.