Gemma Aguasca Sole

Originally from Barcelona, Gemma studied for a double degree in sculpture at the Faculty of Fine Arts and illustration at the Llotja School. Having mother (the artist Montserrat Solé Torrens) who was a painter probably unconsciously guided her in her choices.

After graduation, she held several jobs while continuing with her artistic activities. She began painting t-shirts with a friend, and what should have been a little sideline activity, turned into a full-time occupation for ten years. Along with her work, she received commissions for illustrations and exhibited in bars and restaurants in the Catalan capital. At the age of thirty-four, she decided to change her life. She left her hometown and moved to a small village on the island of Mallorca in the Balearic Islands where she devoted herself entirely to her passion.

The artist works in acrylic on paper, gluing in places a few things cut here and there, from magazines or newspapers. Belgian painter René Magritte (twentieth century) and Spanish illustrators Carme Solé Vendrell and Ana Juan are among her main artistic influences. Gemma finds her inspiration in the little things of everyday life and the images that surround her. Her style is a happy mix of painting and illustration. The absurd can sometimes be felt in her colourful surrealist compositions.
Through funny, comic-like scenes, Gemma hopes to sublimate reality by carrying it into her dream world. The artist does not intend to convey a particular message. She simply wants to amuse and touch the audience with poetry, humour and escapism. Her stylized characters are perfectly recognizable with their large almond eyes, their mischievous flushed cheeks and long prominent noses. Tender and endearing, they are the everyday heroes of a modern fairy tale.