Not so for Mimma Salinas! Our memories of Mimma resemble video clips, not still photos. “Mobility or motion were Mimma trademarks,” says Robyn Feeley, organizer of a special gallery exhibit to honor Mimma’s memory. “That was true in her life and in much of the art she created.”
Mimma’s work often portrayed female forms posed as graceful dancers. The inherent fluidity of these sculptures was accentuated because she built motion into the figures; they could actually pirouette on axles incorporated into the pieces.
“Her work seemed to exist between the real world in which she lived and the surreal world in which she created,” her niece Ariella Fiore explains. “Her artistic goal was that observers of her work would move between these two realms and imagine a world where this division is blurred.
Mimma found and created art all around her. Her mind was always working on new projects, ways to incorporate her visions into reality. Her sudden and brief battle with pancreatic cancer took everyone by surprise. How someone so vibrant, full of life, and full of creation, could leave so very quickly is still shocking to those of us who knew and loved her. Mimma loved creating and sharing her art, and in recent years had found a wonderful partner in the Topanga Canyon Gallery."
Born in Nicaragua, she studied art, primarily sculpture, in her home country, England and Belgium, eventually earning a BFA from Pratt Institute in New York. Her work is displayed in our local gallery and worldwide in places such as Amsterdam, Nicaragua, the World Sculpture Park in Changchun, China, and in galleries all over the United States. But the Topanga gallery was her artistic home base in recent years. “She enjoyed her time there and loved the camaraderie with the artists and patrons,” Ariella notes.
“It is only fitting therefore that the gallery will mount an exhibit to honor a friend and fellow artist who left us far too early, just 48 days after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer,” said Debbi Green, TCG president, in announcing the , Immortal Soul: A Tribute to Mimma Salinas. It will run from July 28 to August 22. TCG members have invited guest artists who knew or worked with Mimma to participate. Artist entry fees will be donated to a fund the Salinas family created to support pancreatic cancer research.
“The emphasis will be on work inspired by Mimma’s life and work,” explains Ms Feeley. One artist, who admired her pieces that suggested dancing, will enter two original prints that portray abstract female dancers. At least one has created work that has a windows motif, motivated by the giant 17.7-foot ‘Windows’ sculpture Mimma fashioned in China. Others promise work in varied media that reflect her vibrant, upbeat nature.
“We invite the public to attend the reception for this very special exhibit from 5 to 8 pm on Saturday, August 9. The event will give guests an opportunity to meet the artists and discuss their work. Admission is free and light refreshments will be served.”
(Topanga Canyon Gallery is located at 120 N. Topanga, #9 in the Pine Tree Circle shopping center, Topanga, CA 90290. Hours are 10 am to 6 pm Wednesday-Friday, 11 am to 5 pm Sunday. For more information, call 310-455-7909, visit www.topangacanyongallery.com or send e-mail to info@topangacanyongallery.com.)
Mimma’s family is joining with the Hirschberg Foundation to help raise money to fight this most deadly strain of cancer. Money raised goes to benefit research grants, fund ongoing research, and help families stricken with this dreadful disease, with financial aid should they need it. Mimma's legacy will not be of her death, it will be of her art and how her art will bring change to the world.
For more information on the Hirschberg foundation, please visit www.pancreatic.org. For more information on Mimma Salinas, please visit www.mimmasalinas.com or www.salinasgallery.com
To make a donation to honor Mimma, please go to www.pancreatic.org/memorial/mimmasalinas
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