In a world where gender equality and diversity are urgent, WE WANT TO PAINT! It represents a horizon of creativity, empowerment and ethical reflections on sisterhood in artistic practice. The initiative is not only limited to artistic expression, but also challenges patriarchal structures rooted in art history.

WE WANT TO PAINT! It is a self-managed, porous and mutant initiative, an artistic and experimental space to collectivize and celebrate contemporary painting. We develop projects and activations of flexible formats that challenge traditional perspectives on painting, fostering fused dialogues that celebrate the diversity and artistic expressions of Central American women who incorporate painting practice in their work.

This collaborative project not only covers contemporary painting, but also reflects and creates methodologies with a feminist approach in artistic practice, seeking common ways to address the challenges of artistic self-management.

For WE WANT TO PAINT!, the practice of painting is a process of experimentation, research and resistance in the context of contemporary art. We start from the conviction that current painting reflects what is happening and represents the presence of its creators and, therefore, their time.

The objectives of WE WANT TO PAINT! are:

-Promote collaboration between contemporary artists, breaking down geographical barriers and amplifying our voices. We foster a network of women painters who recognize and celebrate each other.
-Explore and develop feminist methodologies in our artistic practices, challenging patriarchal norms and creating new paths for expression.
-Weaving dialogues through art and experiences that transcend borders, inspiring other women artists to believe in the importance of their work and take control of their story in the art world.

ACTIVATIONS:

WE WANT TO PAINT! In its first edition in 2022, it articulated: a directory of artists active in pictorial practices, generated from a digital form, shared publicly to collect data, and an exhibition that brought together pictorial works by 18 female (cis-trans) artists residing in Costa Rica. The exhibition took place within the framework of the 35 years of the Regional Museum of San Ramón, Alajuela. Parallel activities emerged from the exhibition as part of the Circuit of Feminist Artistic Practices, which was held within the framework of the 30 years of the Cultural Center of Spain in Costa Rica.

The objective of the exhibition was to embrace the mobilizing force of desire and the power of deterritorializing traditional routes of knowledge. WE WANT TO PAINT! It is based on the fact that, as creators, women artists are desiring beings and not exclusively objects of desire of the traditional male gaze that has legitimized the history of art throughout the centuries. The 2022 exhibition started from a living fabric, in which more women were invited to take ownership of their desire to paint. WE WANT TO PAINT! It emerged in a cultural scenario in crisis, where the urgency for more opportunities for women artists continues, particularly for those from territories outside the cultural circuits of the Greater Metropolitan Area.

Karla Herencia. Founder and agitator of WE WANT TO PAINT!

2022-2023:
Co-managed in 2022 by: Anna Matteucci, Daniela Martén and Karla Herencia.
Exhibiting artists: Abril Coghi, Aire Calderón, Alina González, Aimée Joaristi, Anna Matteucci, Allegra Pacheco, Carolina Guillermet, Cristina Powell Aird, Daniela Martén, Karla Herencia, Kate Fernández, Man Yu, Marcia Madrigal Guardia, Melissa Ríos, Natalia Porras, Pía Chavarría, Rebeca Martínez Monge, Ruth Bonilla.