Tensions and Tales
Tendencies naturally swing between extremes without much room for pause. Being in constant movement signals an untiring mind and restless heart and serves as the expression of consistent evolution. Seven guessing games and layered narratives make up Noelle Varela’s latest series of mixed media pieces. Alternating between characters or co-actors, pieces presented in Play! You are Me engages performances through toy play informed by explorations of the psyche. Varela vividly stitches childhood experiences and social realities, weaving together naïve innocence with mature intimacies. In these scenarios, who is playing? Noelle Varela’s practice responds to the material while exploring the intricacies of relations.
Noelle Varela (b. 1993) received her Bachelor in Fine Arts (cum laude) from the University of the Philippines, Diliman. She mainly works with three-dimensional sculptures and forms. Varela continuously constructs contemporary imagery using sawdust that hints at images of the female body while depicting the experiences of women (sexuality and societal status).
Selected Works from Play! You Are Me
Noelle Varela, I can be who you want me to be, 2022, Sawdust sheet, Acrylic on Emulsion sheet, thread, nylon thread, beads, fiber fill, 19 x 8 x 10 in (48.3 x 20.3 x 25.4 cm)
Noelle Varela, Go to sleep...But I still want to play., 2022, Sawdust sheet, thread, beads, fiber fill, 11 1/2 x 12 1/2 x 3 in (29.2 x 31.8 x 7.6 cm)
Noelle Varela, Mommy look I'm adulting, 2022, Sawdust on Aluminum expanded wire, 9 x 16 x 20 in (22.9 x 40.6 x 50.8 cm)
Noelle Varela, Run like the Wind, 2022, Sawdust sheet, Acrylic on emulsion sheet, 24 x 35 in (61 x 88.9 cm)
Noelle Varela, That it's time you learned the facts of life Starting from A to Z, 2022, Sawdust sheet, thread, fiber fill, 44 x 55 in (111.8 x 139.7 cm)
Noelle Varela, They told me to stop going down I was just looking, 2022 ,Sawdust sheet, Acrylic on Emulsion sheet, thread, beads, fiber fill, 8 x 15 x 10 in (20.3 x 38.1 x 25.4 cm)
Noelle Varela, What a mess, 2022, Sawdust sheet, thread, beads, fiber fill, 15 x 15 x 8 in (38.1 x 38.1 x 20.3 cm)
