After a decade of immense musical success, supporting global icons like Madonna and Beyoncé, the 36-year-old Venezuelan artist Arca experienced a severe burnout. Now, the evocative, often nightmarish paintings that were instrumental in her recovery are being showcased. This artistic journey began long before Arca, real name Alejandra Ghersi, released her acclaimed eight albums, including the extensive Kick pentalogy, or collaborated with trailblazers like Björk and Rosalía. As a young teenager in her Caracas bedroom, she was already immersed in visual arts, uploading 3D animations to DeviantArt, a popular social media platform for artists in the early 2000s. She vividly recalls pushing her family’s computer to its rendering limits. This deep-seated interest in visual expression now comes full circle as the musician prepares to open her inaugural institutional exhibition at the prestigious ICA in London.
‘It was a way of processing violences I’ve survived’: how iconoclastic musician Arca beat burnout with frenzied painting
By Rupert Blackwood
Investigative journalist based in Sheffield, focusing on technology's impact on society. Rupert specializes in cybercrime's effect on communities, from online fraud targeting elderly residents to cryptocurrency scams. His reporting examines social media manipulation, digital surveillance, and how criminal networks operate in cyberspace. With expertise in computer systems, he connects technical complexity with real-world consequences for ordinary people