Alejandra Musalem is a self-taught surrealist painter from Chile who utilizes heavy symbolism and Jungian psychology to reveal the secrets of the human “psyche.”

Through the use of archetypal models and the prominent feature of women and children, the painter creates highly imaginative scenery and narratives reminiscent of Dalí’s work in an attempt to enable the soul to come forward on its own. “I open the path of color and form; I raise barriers; I cross thresholds. The language of symbols is the compass that points the way to the deep secret of the psyche that tries to unveil the self, the union of opposites, a dream of totality.”

In this series of brightly colorful and epic anthologies of paintings, Musalem mixes abstract visuals with an artificially created cosmic mythology to depict intricate dreamscapes. These works reveal the purgatory that exists between reality and imagination, creating evocative windows through which viewers can peek into their own subconscious.

In other words, she paves the way for inner soul-searching. “I paint to explore the intermediate spaces where the visible and the invisible intertwine,” she says, “where conscious experience enters into dialogue with the images that inhabit psychic depth. My work arises from the need to give form to what cannot be directly named: emotional states, intuitions, and memories that persist beyond language.”

Musalem’s infinite multiverse resides at the threshold between dreams and wakefulness. The legions of characters inhabiting these worlds find themselves in a perpetual state of transience, in a transformative continuum, highlighting the idea of an eternal state of becoming. “Dreamlike scenes, archetypal figures, and suspended bodies inhabit mental rather than real spaces. These presences seem to exist […] between permanence and transformation, condensing shared emotional resonances rather than specific stories,” the painter explains.

“My ancient ancestors are always present in my studio with their music, mysticism, and passion,” says Musalem. It is a vital cue to experience her art through a certain lens. It was conceived and created not only by the artist herself but also by the collective consciousness of past generations. 

Her paintings are like images taken from the REM sleep stage: the visions produced by unconsciously combined thoughts, impressions, and memories creating an amalgam of meanings without meaning. “My painting does not seek to explain or illustrate but to invoke. I aspire to create spaces of resonance where the viewer encounters not a closed story but an intimate experience—a suspended instant in which time pauses and the gaze may return to its own inner dimension,” the artist explains.

Metaphysical quality is not only represented by the eerie imagery but also by titles such as “Adam and Eve,” “The Illusion of Matter,” or “Sidereal Encounter.” There is a clear inspiration from mysticism and the world beyond, combined with a pastel, Bhagavad Gita-like aesthetic. Musalem makes the viewer question the very basis of perception and spatial awareness. “Backgrounds abandon traditional perspectives and become fluctuating fields in which space loses rational stability. Bodies appear in transition, suspended in a constant tension between revelation and concealment, sustaining a sense of mystery,” she says.

The art pieces are incredibly layered and complex. They cannot be grasped by a single glance or a fragment. Each one of them is a complete story that the painter intended to tell. She builds on the cumulative wisdom of humanity that was gathered through millennia; she lets her art be soaked in ethereal connection to the past, deceased, remembered, and eternal. “Each surface functions as a palimpsest where what is covered remains active as latent energy. This process reflects the logic of the unconscious: an accumulation of experiences that settle and later re-emerge transformed,” Musalem concludes.