Her aesthetic technique is grounded in representations of sensuality, eroticism, and intimacy. Influenced by the likes of Alfred Hitchcock, her approach involves elements of voyeurism, placing the audience in the role of an observer in predominantly intimate and private scenes. As you observe her paintings, you feel a sense of guilt and shame as you pry into environments and interactions that make you feel as if you’re not supposed to be there. Her sublime use of colors, hard angles and especially the almost judgmental gazes of her subjects create scenes that feel dreamlike and uncanny. Manuela often employs the use of eroticism in her work, but unlike traditional eroticism, it feels natural in the environments that she creates. The erotic element of Manuela’s work normalizes sexuality and cements the idea that everyone possesses a sexual side, regardless of whether we admit it or not. Her paintings attempt to place human sexuality in a place of banality and the ordinary by representing sexual aspects without placing them in a role of the protagonist. In Manuela’s work, one can also see a homage to objects and art, as her environments often incorporate ceramic vases and framed artwork, which she uses to both show her respect to traditional art and pay homage to it.

Manuela’s background and personal life is also reflected in her work through the use of nature, and more specifically, plant life. Her use of tropical plants and nature serves as a callback to her roots, incorporating elements of her life in Colombia and the Dominican Republic by using the backdrop that she sees in her daily life as the backdrop of the scenes she represents. Palm trees and mountains often show up in her work and add a layer of tropicality to her paintings. The combination of the tropical, the sensual and the intimate creates a unique and exciting approach that juxtaposes elements of tradition, ingenuity and innovation.

Oil on Panel

41 x 46 in

Detail