Ceci Brook

Rachna Singh, Editor, The Wise Owl, talks to Argentinian artist Ceci Brook who brings portraits to life in a unique fusion of oil painting and Persian rugs, weaving cultural identity with individual expression. Her work honours women, capturing powerful gazes that speak volumes, drawing the viewer into their world.

 

Hi Cecilia. Thank you for taking time out to talk with The Wise Owl. It was a pleasure to see your work on display at the World Art Dubai.

 

RS: Your portraits seamlessly blend oil painting with intricate Persian rug patterns—a striking and unusual combination. What sparked this fusion of mediums and cultural references?

 

CB: Rachna, it is a pleasure for me to have this interview, and I am, of course, very grateful.

​

I am in love with Persian rugs — they are cultural heritage, they tell stories, they show us the nature and traditions of their place of origin, and their patterns and colors are wonderful to me. All of this blends with my passion for painting faces, where the abstract becomes visible from within. I simply felt that this is what I want to do.

​

​

RS: The women in your works seem to gaze directly at the viewer, commanding attention with a quiet intensity. What do you hope their expressions communicate?

 

CB: Since the very beginning, women have been weaving history. Persian rugs began to be crafted more than 2,500 years ago, and their tradition has been passed down from generation to generation, mainly through women’s hands. I want my works to honor women by merging cultural and individual identity, creating a dialogue between the ancestral and the contemporary, and contrasting the ornamental with the feminine expressive force.

 

​

RS: How do your Argentinian heritage and experiences shape your visual storytelling, especially when working with elements rooted in other cultures, like Persian textiles?

 

CB: In Argentina, we live alongside many roots — Indigenous, European, and recent migrant — and that diversity has taught me to strengthen my perspective and to engage in a dialogue with Persian tradition through my own sensibility.

 

​

RS: Could you take us behind the scenes of your creative process? How do you choose your subjects, and how do the rug patterns evolve within each composition?

 

CB: I choose gazes that pierce through me, faces that convey something, that speak to me — so that when I see them, I instantly know I want to paint them. Each rug is a universe of its own; I first consider what kind of face might suit the design and colors, then I draw it in oil and later paint it, adapting to the type of pile — the carpet’s fibers — I encounter. Many times, I face serious challenges.

 

​

RS: You’ve showcased your work in diverse cultural contexts, including World Art Dubai. Have audience interpretations of your art varied across countries or regions?

​

CB: Yes, absolutely, Persian rugs are recognized worldwide for their beauty and cultural value, but specifically, the Middle Eastern audience is very knowledgeable about their ancestral meaning and feels honored and surprised that a Western artist works with them.

 

​

RS: Textiles often carry domestic or decorative connotations, but in your hands, they become a medium of strength and storytelling. Is there a deliberate feminist narrative in that transformation?

 

CB: There is no deliberate feminist intention in my work, although I understand it can be read that way. The fact that many of these weaves were made by women adds an additional layer of meaning that I respect, but I do not start from explicit activism—instead, from a personal search for connection, memory, and expression. Along that path, women appear with strength and personality; I don’t see them as fragile figures, but as empowered presences who hold a gaze, a gesture, a story. My drive comes from an emotional and visual need to connect with materials rich in history and humanity.

 

​

RS: Your work navigates the space between tradition and individuality. How do you strike a balance between honoring collective cultural memory and expressing personal identity?

 

CB: I seek a meeting point between Persian tradition and my emotional pulse as an artist. I am drawn to the symbolic weight of the rugs and their history of women weavers. By intervening them, I merge them with my world, my characters, my gestures, my expressions.

 

​

RS: What themes or artistic directions are currently capturing your imagination? Can we expect new materials, collaborations, or stories in your upcoming work?

 

CB: Next year, I intend to focus on iconic characters from art, always on Persian rugs, while simultaneously working with other types of unconventional materials.

 

Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to us. We wish you the very best in all your creative endeavours.