The intersection between “sublime” and “confronting” is Iara Kaumann Madelaire’s sweet spot. The 27-year-old Argentinean painter, sculptor and textile artist puts the female body front and center in all its raw, multifaceted glory – and in a way you likely haven’t seen before.
“I’m drawn to the moisture of a glance, the moisture of the skin. I want to transport the viewer to that blurry zone between reality and the dream world,” she says.
Each of Iara’s pieces is an invitation for women to question traditional beauty standards they hold themselves and others to, and look beyond the physical to discover the freedom and power of being in their own skin. “I’m fascinated by scenes that are difficult to classify, that flirt with the unpleasant. The veins and capillaries that are so often removed in advertising are actually just signs of being alive. There’s a visceral realism to that kind of beauty, and I want to embrace that.” she says.
“I take my inspiration from nature, eroticism and strong, wild women. There’s an androgyny to my work, and an emphasis on a diversity of bodies from different parts of the world,” she says.
Iara describes her work as a constant personal search. “Through self-portraits – sometimes more obvious, sometimes deformed – I find myself. For me, art was and is a path towards self-knowledge, acceptance and self-love.”
Check out more of Iara’s work at her Instagram: @iaramkm