While growing up in the post-civil war era in El Salvador in the 1990’s, Carlana Perla discovered from an early age her passion for stories. She would always sit down and listen to her grandma’s folktales during golden hour on their small patio where they could see San Salvador’s volcano. Everyday, they would witness the sun disappear behind the majestic and powerful, green giant, who resembled a somber and dark guardian at sunset. Carlana and her grandmother, Victoria Romualdo, developed a special bond that would continue throughout the rest of their lives and would highly influence Carlana’s artistic career. During her time at Columbia University, Carlana discovered that she also had a talent for painting and decided to merge her two passions: storytelling and visual arts. After taking a narrative painting class with artist Susanna Coffey, Carlana started a journey of discovery and experimentation. Secluded in her little corner of the world in North Bergen, New Jersey during the pandemic, Carlana painted her small domestic space and started producing self-portraits. She realized soon that she could incorporate other visual elements, such as objects. Objects can also reflect human experience, they can evoke a moment in time. This encouraged Carlana not only to paint her present reality, but also explore her heritage, trying to understand the lives of those women who preceded her. In this exhibition, Carlana is sharing the pieces that started her artistic journey. Some of them were made during her time as an undergraduate.
