In Conversation: Artist Elena Vidal on Abstraction and Identity

Ahead of her inclusion in “Abstract Horizons: New Perspectives,” we sat down with artist Elena Vidal to discuss her practice, influences, and the enduring power of abstract expression.

On Beginning

Museo: How did you first come to abstract painting?

Elena Vidal: It wasn’t a conscious decision. I was painting figuratively for years, and gradually the figures dissolved. What remained was more honest – the emotion without the narrative scaffolding.

On Process

Museo: Can you describe your working process?

EV: I work on multiple canvases simultaneously, usually between 8 and 12 at a time. Each painting informs the others. It’s a conversation between surfaces. I might spend weeks on a single layer, waiting for it to speak before adding the next.

On Identity

Museo: Your recent work seems to engage more directly with questions of cultural identity.

EV: Abstraction isn’t about absence – it’s about essence. The colors, the gestures, the rhythms in my work carry the DNA of every place I’ve lived and every experience I’ve absorbed. You can’t separate the art from the person who makes it.