Today we have the honor of sharing with Carlos Jairran, Venezuelan artist living in Colombia, sculptor, tells us part of his great experience in the world of sculpture. Enjoy!
Astrid: Where does your desire to make art come from?
Carlos: I believe that the desire to make art, always come from a creative need I believe that many, I believe that we can all experience that when we need to do something or say something I believe that art has been a means for me to be able to do it not only to say also the fact of creating with your hands to make I think it’s a need that drives you that has moved me a lot to be able to create in my case it has been sculpture first I have been very fascinated by the process especially the modeling for me it was always quite a playful process enough to interact with the material, to compose create characters above all and to be able to recognize myself in those characters I think that has been one of the things that has motivated me the most to make art and well that has evolved when I was a child I came from a gambling process then became a development of a certain dexterity and well I finally got I have had the good fortune to stay in the sculpture business.
Astrid: At what point did you choose the path of sculpture and what prompted you to pursue it?
Carlos: it all started when in the beginning I was very interested in plasticine, plasticine modeling let’s say that I had no knowledge of the elaboration of sculptures because they are quite easy, the sculpting process does not, I was very interested in plasticine modeling but above all to focus on the subject of animation (stopmotion) which is also a rather complex process because it has many phases, many jobs to finally arrive at an audiovisual product and I came clean, I realized that what I was about
was the realization I really loved modeling,
I think modeling was my thing this noble material in plasticine and I kept that,
let’s say I discarded and kept the essentials which was sculpture for me at the time I stayed because sculpture also has some very interesting virtues one of them is that to create it, to compose a sculpture it is important to orbit it to surround it, to see it from all sides and that all faces can have something interesting to say, something to show so I’m very interested in it because it’s closely linked with the space that surrounds it and invites
people to walk through it basically why I kept the sculpture besides the fact that every time I get into new in new processes speaking of technical terms, to get into processes of reproduction of the sculptures to materials that guarantee its durability over time.
its durability over time I found it fascinating, including metal casting, bronze casting.
Astrid: What materials and tools do you use in your workshop work?
Carlos: In order for a sculpture to finally be in its space now ready, let’s say it goes through a lot of phases and processes of phases and processes already, let’s say it goes through a lot of phases and processes in which there are many materials and tools with which I also work that can be from the plasticine, from the plaster cast Silicone, resin, iron, welds, electrodes, but mainly the process that most influences in the process of my sculpture, let’s say that the most influential phase that most influences is the modeling and in the modeling which is where I define the shape of the sculpture i mainly use plasticine, play dough or clay I think it’s a material that allows me to very efficiently very fast to get to the shape I need to create and as for tools, as in all the processes of the sculpture, we have to there are many tools in modeling I mainly use some stecas what I do myself mainly because they have different functions and different forms carries different shapes with it so I think it’s very important for me to make them myself I think it is the most accurate way to achieve what I want to achieve so basically that would be the main ones.
Astrid: How is the process from drawing, modeling and assembling the piece?
Carlos: In sculpture mainly model
because it is a simple form, as they say, get to the shape of the sculpture of course, before we get to the modeling,
an internal structure is made can be made of wire or iron a structure to support all the modeling and the weight of my hands, of my hands really I think for me modeling is a process,
a very important part I think this is my favorite part of the process because in the modeling occurs everything that
in essence is sculpture and finally when you see a resin sculpture, plaster or bronze sculpture is a material I’ve recently been involved with it
I’ve been getting involved with it I think for me it is important on the surface of the work, of the sculpture to leave behind those vestiges of the process see the marks left by modeling, see the marks left by the tools see how the fingers, the strokes,all that is very present in the process In the final piece, that’s why I’m so interested in that the modeling has all that essence let the material speak, let the material be able to speak to be present in the work finally.
Astrid: Do you have any characters that inspire or influence you?
Carlos: I believe that in art we are a whole a collage-like mix of people
whom we admire or follow I think that our work is ultimately is influenced by a little bit of all of that I think in principle, I could say that my family was there in that process there, in that process let’s say mostly my parents and as I grew older, as I got to know sculpture, I’ve seen a lot of artists of which I have been fascinated for example in the history of Art, if we talk about figurative sculpture, obviously I will love the work of love the work Of Miguel Ángel, Rodin, Verdini, Jean Boulogne, I think there are many artists in history I’ve also been inspired by them because I’ve seen their work and reading a little about them I think one sees the process of sculpture as something quite spiritual as well, teachers I had at the University have also influenced my work and artists that I’ve been a fan of let’s just say
that I’ve followed them on social networks, even that I have managed to make friends with them and also share, and even become friends with many I think that has been very important and nice, to meet that these people have influenced me and well my work also has a little bit of all this admiration which are many, I could spend a long time naming them all.
Astrid: What other trades do you have outside of sculpture?
Carlos: The sculpture is really like a…
…sculpture is very jealous and it really does not little allows me to devote myself to other things I really like cinema, animation, music, and dance even I don’t think I have been able to dedicate myself to anything else but sculpture the only thing I do, something I love and I have done apart from sculpture that it has not really been separate, it has been part of the sculpture I have been teaching sculpture, and not only do I love doing it because the people who have been in my classes, I have noticed a lot of development in sculpture,I have noticed a lot of development in sculpture but it also helps me to learn a lot more and to stay active in research, development, of how to improve this process, well, they are always so complex, that is to say, teaching also helps me to keep me in sculpture.
Astrid: Have you participated in national and international exhibitions? Tell us a little about this.
Carlos: Yes, I have participated in some exhibitions, mainly collective ones that I have had the opportunity to work with other artists I have had exhibitions within the country, such as at the Museum of of Contemporary Art, the current Museum of of Contemporary Art of Caracas “Armando Reverón”.
I was at the African American Museum in my first solo exhibition where more than 27 sculptures, I had another solo show in Maracay, I have exhibited at CELARG with DVAO (Back to the trade) It has been an important exhibition that takes up the craft, the making, the sculpture of the workshop, I also participated in an exhibition at a Biennial in Miami,some group shows in Colombia (since I live in Colombia), And well, the whole process has been very interesting I think that also beyond the exhibitions I think something I like to highlight and I think it is very important in our work It is the theme of sculptures in public spaces I have already had several opportunities to take my work to transit spaces where in some way it dialogues with the daily life of the people who pass through.
Astrid: Finally, any message for young people who want to get started in the art world?
Carlos: A message for young people?I think it is important to understand that art, the art world is quite hostile, I don’t want to scare you with this I just want them to know that for this world they need, not just discipline, you also need to have a lot of security and to know that their work requires a quality, dedication and I also think it is very important the fact that you take this work seriously that is not only to create, to be creative, inspiration, the form, the composition I think it goes beyond that, quite a complex job that requires a lot of our persistence and from our way of managing the processes that the work is taken seriously from the beginning to be taken seriously .
Thanks to Carlos Jairran for allowing us to conduct this interview today, I invite you to follow him on his social networks.
Social media:
Instagram: @carlosjairran.escultor