Just as some are born doctors, lawyers or engineers, she was born with the drive of art. Since childhood she demonstrated a natural skill for drawing and over the years expanded her artistic record and became a sculptor, stage, art director, theatrical director, producer and author. A powerful combo.
“I am an artist because I was born like this. I was born an artist and I was born sad, ”he says Valeria Ambrosio by way of presentation. The sadness, which for another would be invalidating, played in favor or, at least, did not prevent her from developing an interesting career in theater, television, cinema and also the public function, and being recognized with several awards.
She is currently director of the Palacio Libertad, Domingo F. Sarmiento Cultural Center (former CCK). In addition, she is the director of the successful musical “Mina … chew sei”starring Elena Roger, with Diego Reinhold and the musical direction of Gaby Goldman. An Adrián Suar and Prelude Producciones production at the El Nacional Theater.
News: When was the artistic drive woke up?
Valeria Ambrosio: I drew very well, I did it as a game, I hadn’t even studied. In second or third grade a teacher saw one of my drawings, was surprised and showed it to other teachers. There I began to understand that this could be a communication bridge, someone saw it and gave it a value, what I did like others. I kept drawing and when I finished the secondary I scored in psychology, I made a year of basic cycle until a friend told me that I had to go to Fine Arts. I scored for the entrance exam and just stepped on the first step of the Pueyrredón school I knew that this was my world. I did the five years and I specialized in sculpture, and then I went into the theater through the scenery.
News: And over time he added his other knowledge
Ambrose: Yes, everything was joined and when I had to direct my first show – “Mina Che thing Sei” -, in 2003, I already knew of composition, color, sculpture, scenography, lights. It took a long time to understand the actors, for me an actor was a brush, a tool, until I understood that they required another type of language and containment and began to take a little more and was fantastic. Humanity cares a lot, I like to think that people are leo, that people around me are heavy books. As long as I go on page 20, as long as I finished four volumes, with the other I am starting. I like to listen.
News: Let’s talk about his sadness. What does it mean that it was born sad?
Ambrose: Two years ago I understood why I was born sad. I made a native letter and they told me that I had chirón at home XII. Chirón is the planet of the pain of humanity and at home XII you take charge. I was always very empathic. But I love it, I’m not depressive. Sadness inspires me at times, it seems to me that it is a nice, fertile place, conceived in that way.
News: It does not take it to dark places
Ambrose: No, it takes me to light places. I like to share my life with sadness. It is dense, but the density is not afraid either. I don’t like to surf things, I don’t like to pass them over. I like to put the body, it has to go through my body everything, if I don’t understand. In addition, I grew up with Italian parents who had to leave their country and my mother had some melancholy, which I also have. I love melancholy, it is poetic.
News: How does it relate to joy?
Ambrose: I have a joy, but I am happy too, I can have fun. There is more difficult contact with pleasure. Pleasure I find in beauty. The Jacarandás in November, a sunset, the moon, the stars continue to be amazed.
News: “Mina Che thing Sei” premiered in 2003
Ambrose: Actually, we think about it for a single function in the BAC, which we finally did. I worked with Alejandro Romay at that time and showed him the video of the work, he liked it a lot and offered us to pass to the National. We premiered on December 8 and did only a few functions because the season was over. But it had a lot of impact. The people who saw us were very delighted. A lot of intensity in the return. I remember that China Zorrilla was fascinated, it was our best press agent. The following year we got three months in the Metropolitan at eleven o’clock at night, it was winter, so many people were not coming, but those who came were also very delighted. Then we take it to Italy with Ivana Rossi and Dan Breitman. And, when Elena Roger returned to make Evita in London and before he went to the United States, we made four operas. That was in 2014 or 2015.
News: And last year they returned with everything
Ambrose: Yes, and we gave him a magical value, because just in April of last year my mother died and this show is closely linked to my old woman. They are the songs she sang. We did functions in the month of November and it was great, it was filled with people. Now in January we re -release in the National in principle until March 9. It is a very metaphorical show, while you are laughing, you are crying, it can be a child, a drama, but you also have fun, all together.
News: What is your assessment about success?
Ambrose: Everything that has to do with the celebrity makes me very nervous. It seems so ancient, so demoded, and it is so ephemeral, so liar. If they applaud you, it’s a success, right? But also having done something, having taken it is a success. Also waking up the next day is a success. The success in terms of the entertainment world is a game.
News: And the failure?
Ambrose: It is the place where the most grows. The failure is fantastic. It is a test that wakes you up, makes you see where you failed, how he remedies it, how you improve it. But for me there is no success or failure, they are about structures, they are Biribi.
News: What challenges did you present its first year of management as director of the Libertad Palace?
Ambrose: The first challenge was internal. “I’m going to be able to?” And after a year the answer is: “Yes, I could.” The goal was for this space to be a more open space, to all voices, to other ways of expression, I started to get things. It seemed to me that it was good to address artistic programming from the word origin, and that was last year’s thematic axis. I invited artists to remember their first five years of life, where the mother sang such a song, the father told him such a story, the grandmother, such a cradle song. We are a mixture of cultures, in addition. That is what formed us, those are our foundations. I proposed to connect there and was great. I opened the space with a heart of Alejandro Mármol. It was like planting a white flag and saying: “Love.” Not in a naif sense, but in the sense of love as a force of gravity. As the love that Dante said: “He who moves the sun and stars.”
News: The balance is good, then
Ambrose: It is good personally because I could do it and it is goodly humanly because there is a lot of humanity here. Interact, trust in you, trust others. For management it was also good because we added a lot of people who had never come. There were a lot of very high level, like a ballet gala. We had between 400 and 420 activities per month, I added the theater, which was not, there were 55 plays, we made a screenshot that marked us, we gave life to the radio we have. There is an immersive room where we show Fatto in Casa works, because here there are people with a lot of talent, very compromised and creative, and super interesting things came out. And we gave rise to the emerging and the consecrated of all possible colors.
News: What do you project for this year?
Ambrose: This year the thematic axis are the connections. Go find where there is community, where there is connection, address more deeply what technology is in art, artificial intelligence. We have scheduled concerts, tributes, visual arts samples, performances, facilities, among other things.
News: Your relationship with politics and government, in particular?
Ambrose: I am apolitical. I feel that at this time, being in this place, I am supporting, of course. I am trusting, believing that everything has to be better. My grain of sand, my spirit of service in the role that touches me is to accompany. I am accompanying and being functional to a management. In this case, my most direct link is the Secretary of Culture. My role is to be close to it, to make it good at one point and be up to a position, where everything has to be well and where we have to show that things can be done and that not everything is silver. It can be done with what you have. In this reality I feel that we have to be all united supporting and accompanying.
News: A header phrase?
Ambrose: “Destiny writes like nobody.” It’s a phrase of mine, but I imagine that many think about it and I don’t know if it’s patented.
