Art challenge with Francisco Merino
Mexican
Focusing
of
Mosaic Colors
by Francisco Merino
Born in Oaxaca de Juárez. He studied painting at the Rufino Tamayo workshop in 2008. After graduating as a psychologist and teacher in education. In 2014 he studied painting and engraving at the FAD of UNAM. (San Carlos Academy). In 2016 in Oaxaca he completed a diploma in contemporary art at the “Curtiduría” visual arts center. His work focuses on painting, sculpture and a reinterpretation of traditional ceramics through artistic installation.
Highlighting the “Resilientes” project where he collaborates with ceramic artisans, individual exhibitions have emerged from this project in museums in Oaxaca, Jalisco, Los Angeles and California. His work has been shown in Tokyo with Galería Coper, Centro de Arte Moderno Madrid, and at the Museum of Natural History in New York as well as in numerous group exhibitions in Mexico and abroad. In 2018 he participated in the international symposium Ombligo de la luna and recently carried out an artistic residency at Casa Wabi, which resulted in the Memory shop exhibition, the first sample of the Casa Wabi Foundation collection. And he participated in the 1st Tijuana International Pictorial Triennial in October 2021.
1
Art for you is?
Art is a style, a way of life, of expression and communication, it is the means through which I can connect with the majesty of the universe, with the higher being, connect with the whole.
@franciscomerinoart
Art sucked out of…? (the question is generational)
Of the sensory experience of the world, an abstraction of my timeline and context. Expressive internal forces.
Photography is something that me…?
I take the world as a reference to create some figurative pieces, and in the case of photography as art, I think it is the capture of a sublime moment.
You would describe your style as?
One of the currents with the greatest visual and artistic impact on my work is Abstract Expressionism, understanding that each avant-garde has its historical context, I consider that I take from them the possibility of expressing internal thoughts and feelings with color, stain and textures, seeking to connect with the viewer of this or another era.
.What color is your art?
Blue, like the deep sea, or the immense sky. Blue like nostalgia or joy. Blue is the predominant color in my work, sharing space with red.
Am I good at…?
Being able to concretize art as a means of expression and learning, sharing the aesthetic experience with people, so that they can incorporate art into their lives on a daily basis.
I have an appetite for…?
Discover in my painting what is the maximum possibility of abstraction.
What main feature of your artistic personality allows you to create?
Being foolish, obstinate. I focus on creating something until I achieve it. It can take days, months or years, there are works that I have completed two or three years later. But in the end I managed to finish them and reach the maximum level of expressiveness..
Your favorite artist is?
Many, at this moment internationally, the work of Miquel Barceló impacts me.
What era do you belong to? Do you have your storytelling?
I am a timeless artist, I do not have a root in my community which is a recognized artistic community “Oaxaca Mexico”, I emerge from art history books, from the biographies that I read self-taught, I am initially a psychologist by profession and after certain events I decided to leave everything to start painting, a path I have been following for 10 years.
@franciscomerinoart
2
What is success to you?
I go through life and do what I love.
Artwork is emotion or workshop?
The work of art is reflection, analysis, taking emotion to a higher level. And definitely only by constantly working is it possible to raise that level, we must demand the maximum from ourselves.
In art I dislike the most…?
Currently I consider that it is very easy to call oneself an artist, and in a certain sense creating through plastic materials could be true, however I consider that the artist is something bigger than just a hobby or taste for painting, or making sculpture
Your motto in art is?
“Art a company at the service of society”
Your approach to the public? Are you afraid to show your works to the world?
I like to share the magic and transformative power of art through courses, I like how people can learn more about themselves, and I really enjoy when in an exhibition of my works people can also be positively impacted by generating doubts, questions or vibrating feelings.
Infantilism bordering on ugliness – Have you encountered, such a thing?
There are many basic artists, I mean they use already existing formulas, used many years ago by famous artists, the only thing they are looking for is money or fame, and many achieve it. It’s your decision. My decision is the long road, to find my own voice so powerful to be able to transmit my message to the world.
Should an artist ask for attention?
Yes, I should ask for attention towards art, the idea that people can live with art in their lives, make it everyday, common, a daily practice. For all the benefits that art produces in people.
@franciscomerinoart
