ART EXPOSITION „BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL“ SOON IN ITALY
Juan Carlos Santoscoy, born in 1973 in Guadalajara, according El Milenio and El Informador is the most popular painter in Mexico. In the last few years this Mexican abstract artist was very fertile whether in his homeland or abroad. In 2008 five of his paintings were included in an international group exhibition Muestra Iberoamericana de Arte Contemporáneo at the Jadite Gallery in New York. He was the one chosen to reppresent his country.
The most famous past exhibition of this artist were „The essence of color“ (2009), „Immunity of the color“ (2010), „Purification 341“ (2014). What characterizes his art is a strong lively color and polyhedral technique (inked thread). He works with plastic elements and, during the artistic process, like he said, he frees up „a child“ that is inside him. All the works by Santoscoy reflect with passion the present generation, its speed and intensity.
Last February 2016 in our Skype interview, Juan Carlos admitted that this year he would come to Italy to exhibit a recent work intitled Between good and evil [Entre el bien y el mal]. This is a project signed by him and another Mexican artist, Rafael Rodrìguez. The exposition has already debuted in his country in October 2015 at Arte Foro in Guadalajara city. Santoscoy is expected to come to Rome in Italy in 2016.
You were born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, in Mexico. You are strongly bound to your beloved country. Have you ever thought about moving abroad?
Yes, it’s true. I am originally from Guadalajara. I acquired an experience at home and abroad. I was in countries such as Germany and Spain. I still want to travel and share my art. My next goal is Italy.
During your career you exhibited your work around the world. Has that international experience changed you?
10 years ago I started to receive invitations to expose my work in other countries such as USA (Los Angeles, New York), Germany (Berlin) and Switzerland. These experiences improved the quality of my work and were consequence of my relations with other international artists. One of my favorite places is Hamburg, in Germany. This is the city where I met some great friends. It showed me a different way of living life, which has marked my career.
Your art is abstract painting. One can notice a big influence of Basquiat. Who are your masters from the past?
My big teachers were Vasilij V.Kandinsky, Krijn De koning, Jackson Pollock and Jean-Michel Basquiat. My Mexican masters were Alejandro Colunga, Alejandro Toledo, Josè Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Rufino Tamayo, Diego Rivera and many others. For me it is very important to feel the painting and to look at it with charm. When I saw the paintings of the great abstract artist it was love at the first sight. I wanted to paint like them, without traces, lines, structures or boundaries. This kind of painting gives me freedom that I totally enjoy. My painting can be called Abstract but also Expressionism. At the moment I am working with abstract and figurative on an experimental project.
Mexico is known as a beautiful but complicated country. How do you see your homeland and how does your country influence your work?
Yes, in Mexico there is a problem of violence. Now we have our moment in art and culture and I think it is the best weapon against it. As an artist, my daily living influences my work. In Mexico you have many opportunities and lots of natural resources. I love to share this cultural wealth with other countries through my paintings.
You have opened your own gallery to share plastic talents by you and your colleagues with children. Could you explain this project better?
It seems to me important to provide tools to the new generations and help developed their creativity by teaching them different techniques of painting. I work closely with Master Rafael Rodriguez. „Between good and evil“ is our common project.
This art exposition „Between good and evil“ was realized, as you said, with Rafael Rodriguez. Who is he?
He is a great artist and my Mexican colleague, through his paintings, genuinely, shows the authentic people of Mexico, its ancestors and its culture. Here death is part of the folklore. His paintings are a mix of figurative and abstract art, presented with humor. All of it you can see in our common project „Between good and evil“.
One of your last exhibitions was „Essence“ that took place in the National Museum of Tequila. What does the title mean for you?
I want to specify that I live 30 minutes far away from Tequila city. I am very proud of my country. Tequila is worldwide famous for an alcoholic beverage but is also a very beautiful city with a great cuisine and colorful landscapes. All is an essence from our ancestors. That is exactly what essence means for me.
Who are the little black figures, little humans represented in the paintings of „Between good and evil“?
These human figures are not children. They represent the Mexican skulls in a funny way. They are the scenes of everyday life where you can observe the coexistence of good and evil, with a touch of mischief, joy and good humor; where the good ones and the bad ones find themselves having a drink of tequila together.
What is the technique that you mostly use in your art? Do you often realize sculptures or installations?
The technique I use is ripping (inked thread) and mixed technique. Yes, I realized a series of sculptures called „Alchemist of the Sea“. They were made of carved wood and miscellaneous materials from the sea. This project opened the door to me of an Art Gallery in the city Chur, Switzerland, where I exhibited.
Now you are a mature and internationally famous artist but how do you see yourself in the mirror? What is the direction of your art now?
After many years of experience, now my work has more identity and personality than before. It has more defined elements. My search is to capture every moment of my present and of contemporary Mexico. I want to reflect our generation with all its shades and great challenges. The globalization allows me to show my work outside of Mexico which I enjoy a lot.
PHOTOS & VIDEO by CARLOS JIMENEZ and JOE ROBLES @ CJ VISUALMEDIA
WRITTEN BY JOANNA LONGAWA