MAGALY BARNOLA-OTAOLA
Magaly Otaola, a vibrant, intuitive  woman from Venezuela, directs her interests towards a search for the cosmic truth, in order to offer us, through her art, a vision of how she interprets the opening words of St. John’s  gospel: “In the beginning was the word (…) All things were made through Him (…) In Him was life and the life was the light(…).”
A painter of vigorous strokes full of radiance and life, whose palette is rich in pure and warm colors, she leads us into a universe where the mythical and symbolic dance an unending waltz beginning with the “Cosmic Cloud,” pristine expression without beginning or end, to continue its rhythm with the succeeding ordering of our planet Earth, and closing the circle with “Man – technology.”  Precursor of a new astral chaos?


MAGALY BARNOLA-OTAOLA:  TITANS
By Milagros Bello, Ph.D.

For Magaly Barnola-Otaola the body is a metaphor. She reflects and visually disserts on the power and strength of the marvelous corpus that is the human body. In her works the body endures tests and hardships and experiences ultimate ordeals and struggles. Muscle and flesh are pushed to the limit or assessed to the extreme. Barnola's bodies show the fundamental essence of humans in an utmost combat. Forte, vigor, and potency reveal their toughest edges in a definite battle for title of the greatest and the supreme. They are in an energetic and lively battle for the furthermost of victories. On a wider scope and Barnola's main concern is that her bodies assess the human condition in its supreme and paramount excellence.

MAN AND MACHINE
Each work outlines actions and exploits on different levels, bringing to relevance the analogy between man and machine. Barnola intertwines both human and mechanical forces into a unique compound of tension and stress. The human body is equivalent to a powerful 'engranage' of machinery in abrasion and resistance. Each body/machine seems to be at discord with the invisible and appears to fight the strife by constantly putting pressure on itself to struggle out of contention. Barnola's expressionistic outlines create speedy drives in the figures as if they shove and break through imaginary coercions. One captures excessive force and explosive clashes, imposing a combative allure in the scene as if the body has transformed into a perfect and powerful energy/machine in action. In the work 'Human Track' (2011) four outlined human individuals stick together in a series as they race towards an imaginary target located in the foreground. Giving their backs to the viewer, they move in a sort of perfect coordinated dance of potency and vigor. Their performance is based on their athletic balance and on the power of their muscles and their skeletal structure. Here, Barnola recreates the mighty power of the athleticism of the human body as it resonates within the values of Greek culture. The work 'Brain Rush' (2011) shows a speedy human race in its diverse movements. Segmenting the steps of the race in the manner of the Futurists, one following the next, Barnola proposes the impetuous supremacy of the brain commanding a perfect and well-synchronized speed. It is a metaphor for the incomparable capacity of perfection of the human body and, as a counterpart, of a machine. With this, Barnola depicts the wonder and awe she has for the human body, showcasing it as a super powerful machine and a superhuman entity. In the work 'Centrifugal Force' (2011), the struggle of a man/machine generates centrifugal forces. Half of his body has transformed into a sort of wheel-like rotor that speedily re-circulates over itself like a powerful machine in action. His legs step forward in an incessant and firm movement.

AN EXISTENTIAL VISUAL JOURNAL
At the core of Magaly Barnola-Otaola's work there is also a reflection on her life and how she has incorporated her life experiences into her art. An axial encounter with the colossal world of machinery came through her engineer husband, Juan Francisco Otaola Pavan, one of the most renowned Venezuelan engineers of the 20th century. Barnola's husband created many outstanding engineering projects, from building complexes and gigantic bridges to the construction of massive roads. Their constant sharing of ideas inspired her to envision the outstanding duet of man/machine and its immense possibilities. She always relies on his creations, inventions, and his radical innovations and deep reflections on man's brainpower.