Clara Varas

                                                                                        Biography

Born in Havana, Cuba, Clara Varas is a mixed media and installation artist who migrated to the United States at the age of seven. Her work deals with issues of exile, migration, separation and identity. Drawing upon fragmented memories of early childhood, as well as her experiences living in an urban, coastal city like Miami, Clara has pieced together her history with unconventional materials like fishing lines, hooks, paper boats, yarn and plastic. Images of mangrove islands, piers and other structures invade her worlds creating tension between the natural and manmade, the past and present, forming links between her homeland and Miami. Clara has developed a unique visual vocabulary, taking us on a journey that is personal, playful, and spontaneous, using cut paper collage and assemblage, fruits, vegetables and found objects as a way to blur the lines between painting, drawing, and installation. Clara Varas earned her Bachelor of fine arts in 1995 from the School Of Visual Arts in New York City. Clara’s work is a part of private collections and has been exhibited nationally in New York and Miami where she currently lives and works.

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