What does a self-portrait reveal and what will it leave to our imagination? In a singular focus on self as subject, painter Gina M. Contreras serves up intimate stories and preservation of personal secrets in good measure. She doesn’t need to tell us everything, a bit of mystery is essential. And a good title comes in handy.
Working in acrylics, gouache, and graphite on canvas, her self-portraits are centered on presenting both an internal and external view to her audience. Contreras says she approaches each piece “with a blend of personal reflection and imaginative exploration in work that is sincere and thoughtful.” She aims to impart an interiority in her paintings, expressive of personal yet tangible emotion. Within a mostly flattened perspective, figures appear to float on the surface, conveying a sense of detachment, or dreaminess maybe, but more so a sense of exposure and vulnerability.
“I draw from my own experiences while capturing moments of passion, longing, and the bittersweet nature of unspoken or hidden connections,” Contreras told 48hills.
Contreras grew up in the Central Valley, mainly Fresno. Graduating with an AA degree from Fresno City College in 2006. She moved to San Francisco to attend the San Francisco Art Institute the same year, earning her BFA in Printmaking in 2008. She currently resides in the Russian Hill/Polk Gulch neighborhood of San Francisco and says she really enjoys going on long walks around the city.
“What I love most about being part of the Bay Area art community is the vibrant history and the incredible talent that continues to emerge from the city. San Francisco is home to some of the best local galleries, where artists can thrive and push creative boundaries,” Contreras said.
In college, Contreras was a devoted printmaker, specializing in screen-printing, and never took a painting class during that period of her life. Due to a lack of access to printing equipment after graduating, however, she transitioned to painting. Her technical approach to the medium remains influenced by her earlier discipline; working in layers, laying down blocks of solid color, and incorporating bold outlines, much like images worked up in the screen-printing process.
“My early work focused on the theme of the elderly finding love late in life. The shift to the medium of painting, though, naturally led to a change in subject matter, turning the focus inward. I had more time to reflect on who I am and who I was becoming, which is why my artworks are now self-portraits,” she said.
She adds that during the pandemic, she felt lonely and isolated, which has deeply influenced her work since that time with an increasing focus on themes of solitude and the complex emotions that come with it. Taking a primary focus on self-portraits that reveal personal story within an emotional context, an openness to expressing the conditions of personal embodiment, and the inclusion of symbolic objects and pattern, Contreras’ work discovers similitude with Mexican surrealist painter Frida Kahlo, though she doesn’t mention her as an influence.
In fact, Contreras is a big fan of photography, and is inspired primarily by Laura Aguilar, Louis Carlos Bernal, Larry Sultan, and Nan Goldin. What she admires about their work collectively is how they capture an essence of vulnerability in the spaces they occupy.
“This sense of openness and rawness resonates with me and influences how I approach my own paintings, reflecting similar emotional depth and connection to personal space,” Contreras said.
She goes on to say that while photographers have been a significant inspiration for her work, there are several painters with whom she finds connection. In particular, Contreras notes Kerry James Marshall’s exploration of Black identity and history, Remedios Varo’s surreal, mystical narratives, and the folk-inspired, graphic styles of both Margaret Kilgallen and Clare Rojas as influences.
“These artists have all shaped how I approach my own paintings. Each of them brings a sense of storytelling and layered meaning to their work, which resonates with me and drives my own exploration of personal and cultural narratives,” Contreras said.
A day in her studio—currently a dedicated corner of her studio apartment—is usually reserved for the weekends, as Contreras works full-time for the SFMOMA Museum Store. She says that she is most productive during opposite ends of the day, whether she is awake very early in the morning or staying up late to work, those are the times she feels most connected to her creative process.
Creating a personal visual language in her paintings, Contreras’ narratives have evolved through the use of semiotics. Mining her own life, whether it be an event or an emotion linked in reminiscence, she looks for common ground in human experience regarding matters of the heart. In repeated depictions of herself as a nude figure, she is literally sharing her naked truth with us. Contreras will tell you, she wears her heart on her sleeve and is not averse to oversharing, though she aims to inject a sense of humor into her work as well.
Adding to the visual resources that originate from her life, Contreras alternates flat blocks of color with patterned backgrounds and other details of the narrative inspired from remnants of memories growing up, for example her mother’s kitchen curtains or her childhood pillowcase. These selective details are another avenue for imparting intimacy through family heritage in her storytelling. In her 2023 series, Continued Comfort, along with religious iconography, a tiger appears near her in several pieces in both oversized and miniature incarnations.
“The tiger is inspired by a San Marcos cobija (blanket) I received as a Christmas gift when I was a teenager. It has been with me for a long time and is still in use to this day. The blanket holds sentimental value and brings a sense of comfort and nostalgia, which is why it often finds its way into my work,” she said.
Contreras has exhibited primarily on the West Coast and her work is included in public collections at the Crocker Art Museum in San Jose and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Library. For her recent solo exhibition, Amor Secreto, at Hashimoto Contemporary in San Francisco which closed the end of September, Contreras created a new series of paintings that delve into the emotional turmoil of being a hidden lover, capturing the loneliness and complexity of secrecy.
Contreras participated in three group shows in November, including the exhibition Distant Figures, curated by Luke Pelletier and Kristen Liu Wong at LaiSun Keane Gallery in Boston; Sassafras at Heron Arts in San Francisco; and Our Bodies Through Our Eyes at Qualia Contemporary Art in Palo Alto.
By placing her image front and center, artist Gina M. Contreras reveals parts of herself to us but more so, puts her heritage on display, defining not just a single person but a cultural identity. In this way, she contrasts solitude with community, potentially helping others recognize the natural coexistence of aloneness with belonging in a broader sense. Borrowing from a title or two, she reminds us that we all have Intimate Layers while simultaneously desirous of Embracing the Familiar.
“I hope that people feel an intimate connection with my work but also see some subtle humor in it,” she said. As for words of wisdom to herself and to others, Contreras simply says, “Stay true to your work.”
For more information, visit her website ginamcontreras.com and on Instagram.
