Argentinean illustrator Mariana Chiesa Mateos uses different kinds of artistic languages – engraving, painting, comic - to express her vocation to drawing.
Her powerful works show an extraordinary ability to mould her sign using a strong, incisive stroke at times, and a lighter, dryer style in other occasions.
The exhibition at Squadro Gallery is a retrospective of her path as illustrator, with particular attention put towards her graphic works done during the stay in Barcelona.
Mariana Chiesa was introduced to Italian audience with her book Migrando, published by Orecchio Acerbo in 2010 and developed in collaboration with Amnesty International. Migrando takes the reader to an evocative world, made of light, almost transparent figures, but strongly real at the same time: it's an inner trip with the aim to make the viewer think about his roots and mankind's fundamental needs.
Mariana Chiesa's voice is deeply connected with social topics: in her book No hay tiempo para jugar, written with Sandra Arenal and published in Spain by Media Vaca, the author faces child labour issues. By using a dry and cutting sign together with colour red, Mariana Chiesa gives to her work a powerful visual impact that cannot leave the reader indifferent.
Beside housing the exhibition, Squadro Gallery will also sell Mariana Chiesa's unseen prints done expressly for the show.

Mariana Chiesa Mateos was born in La Plata – Argentina – in 1967. In 1997 she moves to Barcelona, and in 2008 to Italy, where she currently lives near Bologna. She works as illustrator for publishers based all over the world: Media Vaca, Zoolibri, Sinsentido, L'Association. Beside Migrando, some of her works we would also like to recall are: Mis primeras 80.000 palabras - a collective book she also drew the cover for - published in 2001 by Media Vaca, and Tipos ilustrados, published by Cromotex in 2004. Her No Hay tiempo para jugar was prized by Monaco International Library in 2005 and published in Italy by Zoolibri with the title Non c'è tempo per giocare.