Artist Annya Sand will be opening an exhibition of her paintings at the Hotel Savoy in Florence on International Women’s Day. I spoke to the artist before her show about the work, femininity and showing her works in a hotel.
What can we expect from the exhibition?
The exhibition of largely abstract paintings reflects my life experiences as both a woman and a mother – it’s all channelled into my artworks. While my painting reflects my life I also view the practice of painting as an escape from reality – it’s about transporting myself away from this world and into my own world of creative expression.
I’m showing nine paintings from very different stages of my life stretching from 2007 to 2024. My earlier art pieces are more figurative and reference societal expectations around a woman’s physical appearances and how women are expected to remain ever youthful. While my latest works are more abstract and a more spiritual vision of what femininity means to me, which makes them more open to interpretation.
When it comes to creating my work I enjoy the transformative development – making shapes come together before me and watching them evolve. My technique is element based, and I tend to use my bare hands when working with oils and acrylics, as I need to feel the painting in order to truly adjust its texture. I tend to coat thin layers atop one another which allows for the original underlayer to seep through.
I’m a perfectionist and I feel compelled to guarantee a flawless composition – as my father was a more classical artist I feel like I’ve inherited his sense of precision. This means I often revisit a ‘completed’ work months later to make final adjustments to ensure it works as a composition.
I will be painting live at Hotel Savoy Florence and people will be welcome to enter the space and speak with me, and these conversations will act as an inspiration for my painting – becoming part of the work that I’m creating. The work will also be influenced by my research about the city and its name, which in Latin means blossoming or flowering, as well my experiences of walking the streets of Florence and talking to the locals during my art residency there.
How did this opportunity come about and how is it working with a hotel instead of a gallery?
I work with an artist agent – Nadya Abela – who introduced my artwork to the Hotel Savoy in Florence and she helped make the residency and exhibition happen. The entire team at the hotel have been very enthusiastic and supportive in helping to organise and curate the show. I look forward to people coming to see the show, which will include people flying in from London as well as locals. It’s overwhelming to know so many people are willing to travel to see my work and I’m grateful to the many people who were involved in making sure this exhibition took place, it felt more like a film production.
I like to show my work in unusual places as you get a very different kind of audience that is not completely prepared for what they are about to see, in contrast to the more seasoned art viewers you often get at galleries.
Rocco Forte Hotel’s owns the Hotel Savoy in Florence and the Artist Suite project is a major part of their involvement in the art world – being included within this great legacy is incredibly inspirational. The hotel is an important part of the city’s culture and it has hosted artists such as Anish Kapoor and Muarizio Cattelan – and it just so happens that I’m the first female artist to be in residence.
The exhibition will open on International Women’s Day and as the first female artist in residency, I wanted to pay my tribute to all the female artists before me that did not have the same privilege of taking part in this residency. I also hope that I am paving the way for many more female artists to come after me.
Annya Sand will be showing at Hotel Savoy, Florence, from 9th March to 20th May.
All images copyright the artist.
