For contemporary artist Aranzazu Moena, creating communities and collaborative projects are most imporant. An Asian Curator artist interview.
Thanks to the development of communication, everything is mixed and happening at the same time. Different ideas and styles can coexist. By saying this I don’t mean we are completely free from hegemonic ideas, but at least it feels that things are more open now. Relating that to my own work, I focus on what interests me. Through my paintings I don’t pursue the objective of expressing something world-changing or brutal. I am more interested in addressing daily life experiences.
Contemporary artist Aranzazu Moena in her art studio.
Please tell us a little about yourself, what brought you to the world of art and how did you start?
I was born in Santiago de Chile and since I can remember I have always been interested in images in general. When I was a kid I used to collect images from different sources like television, internet, magazines, movies, and somehow associate them to other things that I saw. I liked the idea of creating new styles and communicating through shapes and colours. So then, when I had to choose a career I opted for art since I felt that it was about images, in a more open and free way than careers like design or architecture.
How do you describe yourself in the context of challenging people’s perspectives via your work and art?
I think that nowadays due to globalisation and the Internet people live in this multiple reality. It is not like in the old times where there was just one or two hegemonic points of view, like those post-war avant-garde movements that are permanently in art history books. I am not saying that those were the only ideas out there then, but art, like many other things, has been historically ruled by the occidental culture. So, if there were other things happening in other places, they were not seen as relevant as the European ones.
Now, thanks to the development of communication media there is less pressure to go in one particular direction. Everything is mixed and happening at the same time. Different ideas and styles can coexist. By saying this I don’t mean we are completely free from hegemonic ideas, but at least it feels that things are more open now.
Relating that to my own work, I focus on what interests me. Through my paintings I don’t pursue the objective of expressing something world-changing or brutal. I am more interested in addressing daily life experiences and stuff like that.
Through these subjects sometimes I connect with other people, which is always nice, and at other times it doesn’t happen. But I don’t worry much about it because I know that my work is coexists with many other things, that at the end it is just a matter of different points of view.
Pink building, contemporary artist Aranzazu Moena.
How do you deal with the conceptual difficulty and uncertainty of creating new work?
I have never really identified with the image of the tormented artist who suffers through art. I think that by being so demanding it doesn’t necessarily mean it helps in doing better work. First of all, I never think of my works as masterpieces. I just do them and then I check if I like them or not, or if they can be related to other works, or if there is an interesting idea that can be later developed.
So, my process is intuitive and constant. I try to work every day. Not always painting, but something art related at least. Sometimes it so happens that you are doing the most silly thing and it turns into a great idea.
I also really enjoy working in groups. The works that I like the most are the ones I did in a collaborative way. I believe that those projects went well because the ideas were constantly discussed and enriched by my partners’ opinions.
Let’s talk about the evolution of your practice. Tell us about your commitment to your current medium. What would you call your style?
I do painting because it is the medium I feel most comfortable in. I am pretty committed to it so far.
I also think that I haven’t been painting for long enough to say I have a particular style, or also be able to think of my artwork in a retrospective way.
Let’s talk about your frameworks, references and process. What inspires you?
I try not to stick to a particular way of thinking about pictures. Through my work I try to rethink the way we see things and also analyse the images that surround us in our daily lives. As an example, lately I am into rock music and the concept of the rockstar in an aesthetic way. The relationship between music and visual props of bands interests me – how through their eccentric attires they manage to create particular discourses that talk to the audience in a visual way and can also be interpreted as a statement in relation to lots of different things, from socio-political issues to mere fun.
Let’s talk about your career, or if you prefer artistic journey. What were your biggest learning and hiccups along the way?
My artistic career and personal life are both very linked. So when I think about this journey, I cannot think about it as something apart from my journey through life, which is itself a big concept. I guess that the biggest learning along the way has been that creating with a community is the most important thing ever. Art and life itself are way better when you share and communicate with others. In a creating community different ideas can interact and develop in more interesting ways and also there is the constant support of others, so you are not alone.
Reposeras, contemporary artist Aranzazu Moena.
How does your audience interact and react to your work?
I like to think that more than an audience, there is more of a community of people that I work with, and them interacting with my work is also part of my work. An example of this is Adomicilioretratos, which is a collaborative project created by my painter friend Magdalena Contreras and I in 2018.
For the project we visited more than 50 houses of different people that contacted us via email and then after the visit we both made an oil portrait of each one of them for a very cheap price. The main idea was to present a way to democratise art by making it affordable and also by opening up to other people, not just artists, to come and be part of the project. In that sense, people were interacting with the work not only as spectators but as active participants, which I think is great.
What are you looking for when you look at other artists’ work?
I really like a piece of work when I feel the artist that did it was having fun while doing it.
How do you resolve the conflict between the commercial and the creative? How does your interaction with a curator, gallery or client evolve?
In relation to this particular subject, there is a quote by Miuccia Prada that makes a lot of sense to me: “You cannot do something just for the money. You have to do things you believe in and eventually you will make money.”
As an artist I try to do things that make sense to me, that I believe are good ideas. Then, if the idea is actually good money and new opportunities come along. The important thing is to keep on working.
What was your first sale? Do you handle the commercials yourself or is it outsourced to a gallery or an agent?
I don’t remember my first sale. At first I used to handle that myself, but then I started to work with an agent. I think that having someone else to do the commercial work is practical because it creates a division between the artistic work and the money. When you work thinking about selling, it often happens that the artworks get corrupted. And then you start working in order to please potential buyers.
I believe that art is not meant to please but to create dialogue and ask questions. Some ideas don’t seem to be viable and you may end up not doing them in the fear that no money would come out of it.
I think it’s cool to have a manager or a gallery who understands your ideas and supports you, so then you can focus just on your work.
Above & Featured image: Perro caminando bajo el sol, contemporary artist Aranzazu Moena.
How many works do you make in a year? How many would you like to be making?
I actually do a lot of work each year. One of the reasons is that I paint fast, because I like when paintings look free. Another important reason is that I am a curious person and I get easily bored by my own work all the time. Because of that I try to keep on working on different projects at a time, so I can switch whenever I feel trapped in the process. As a result of that, I get a lot of work done, but I always aspire to do more.
Think of the biggest professional risk you have taken. What helped you take that risk?
The biggest professional risk has been moving from Chile to Germany. I decided to do it because I was curious about new cultures and also because I wanted to develop myself more and Europe sounded like a good place to do that.
What is the best piece of advice you have received? Why was it helpful?
Once I did a workshop with Eugenio Dittborn, a well known Chilean artist, and there he said, and I am paraphrasing, “If you have an idea, just do it and afterwards you can think about it.” That helped me a lot with my process. It happens that sometimes you get trapped by trying to fit your work in a particular discourse and that can be a limitation when you are trying out new ideas. Better go with the flow.
Tell us about your studio. Could you describe your usual work day in the studio?
My actual studio is in the HFBK University in Hamburg. It’s very nice. I try not to work on paintings for more than three hours a day. I tend to feel trapped when I am in the same place for a long time, so I always do different things in different places during the day.
Boys. Contemporary artist Aranzazu Moena.
Are you more of a studio artist or naturally collaborative by nature? How do you feel about commissions?
Totally more collaborative. I get bored being at the studio alone the whole time.
I have done lots of collaborative things, as I said before. Adomicilioretratos, you can look it up on instagram @adomicilioretratos, is my biggest collaborative project. The project consists of people ordering portraits painted in oil paints which are then delivered to them at home at a cost of $7.41 (USD). Interested parties contact the painters by email; the account is managed by our general secretary, Patricio. Patricio schedules the home visits and acts as our community manager for Instagram, which is the platform we use to show the project’s progress.
During the visits, the painters take photographs of the house and the person sitting for the portrait, which they keep for their records, besides doing a sketch. The person having their portrait done signs a contract agreeing to follow the project’s rules. The painters paint the portrait and, three weeks later, they present the respective portrait to the client along with a certificate of authenticity.
Adomicilioretratos, besides making us reflect on contemporary painting and its relevance in today’s society, also seeks to create a space for community and dialogue centred on an event. The event is designed to bring together the subject of the portrait and their friends to talk about painting, without them having any prior knowledge of art. The fact that the portraits are not expensive means that we are giving normal people the opportunity to acquire art.
Is there any topic lately that you would like to be mentored on?
Scuba diving.
Before you go – you might like to browse our Artist Interviews. Interviews of artists and outliers on how to be an artist. Contemporary artists on the source of their creative inspiration.