Hello Mariano and welcome to NotRandomArt. The current issue is revolving around the problem of communication and identity. Is there any particular way you would describe your identity as an artist but also as a human being in dynamically changing, unstable times? In particular, does your cultural substratum/identity form your aesthetics?
As an artist, I constantly try to emphasize the interconnectedness between everything, often discussed by Carl Jung and Allan Watts, whose views on this subject I share. I believe the problem of communication resides in the lack of empathy or understanding of the idea that we are all one and the same thing or organism, just looked upon from different points of view. These different points of view tend to establish a notion of individuality that creates conflict between people. I think it is possible to remind the public of emotional understanding that’s somehow universal, and allows us to feel and connect.
Mexican every-day culture is based on doing what you can with whatever is at hand, which is a way of working with constraints that can really spark up creativity. This way of being creates a very raw aesthetic, which can be seen just by walking around Mexico City: street food stalls, unfinished architecture, and washed-out paint, amongst many other manifestations. The aesthetic of the work I make grows on this irregularity in the basic structure or components of the sculptures, video, sound and image, but differs with the finishing touches of the artworks, creating what I think could be referred to as an imperfect perfection, where errors, mistakes, roughness, and low fidelity become the building blocks of a piece that’s perfected with the final fabrication, material finishes, color saturation, etc.
Would you like to tell us something about your artistic as well as life background? What inspired you to be in this artistic point in your life when you are now?
I started making music when I was eleven years old and later on studied Audiovisual Engineering in Barcelona and then Audio Engineering back in Mexico City, where I was born and raised; so, there’s definitely music, sound and vibrations behind the aesthetics in my work – either directly in the form of the sound or the music, or in the way visual elements move and exist within the various canvases where the artworks are embodied.
Since I was young, I’ve been interested in the representation and ‘encapsulation’ of feelings, emotions and different states of consciousness; I try to communicate them and give them some sort of plasticity to be able to let viewers experience these extremely strong sensations through their engagement with a work of art.
In 2013 I co-founded Quarso, a digital creativity studio which focuses on the intersection between nature and technology. Quarso is formed by a group of coders, producers and 3D artists who help me in every step of the production process, from visualizing ideas to executing complex technology systems that give life to these ideas; the results are beautiful pieces that properly communicate my inner thoughts and feelings.
Could you identify a specific artwork that has influenced your artistic practice or has impacted the way you think about your identity as a participant of the visual culture?
I am fascinated by the way big invasions of color affect me emotionally, and how different shapes and colors have the ability to alter my state of consciousness, evoking an eerie nostalgia. So, while there’s no one particular artwork, most paintings by Elsworth Kelly, Mark Rothko and Gerhard Richter have helped me understand how scale and color can be used to recreate emotions.
Since you transform your experiences into your artwork, we are curious, what is the role of memory in your artistic productions? We are particularly interested if you try to achieve a faithful translation of your previous experiences or if you rather use memory as starting point to create.
It’s all in my memory – though in an intangible form, such as smell. Smell is one of the most powerful elements for evoking particular memories; it is attached to a feeling so it ultimately turns into an emotional response. The aim of several of my artworks is to evoke or create circumstances that transport the viewer in the same way that smell can: a connection to either past or unknown experiences and emotions that overtake you in a way that makes them impossible to run away from – so you simply have to give in and stop thinking; to just be there in that moment, feeling and experiencing the connection with everything.
What is the role of technique in your practice? In particular are there any constraints or rules that you follow when creating?
I’m currently working with various techniques and media, from ceramics, metal, mirrors and acrylics to custom software, lighting, digital graphics and sound. The way I see it, each medium serves specific purposes depending on the artwork, and having Quarso involved in the production side of the process means I virtually have no limit regarding the technical issues. I can focus on how effectively the idea is created and transferred without the medium or technology being a limitation; rather, it’s a tool at the service of each particular project.