Renata Fernandez

Sculpteurs et Jardin, Brussels, à Hanzinelle

2011-06-05T14:38:00.001-07:00

‘Sculpteurs et Jardin’ (http://www.sculpteursetjardin.be) ran from May 28^th to June 5^th, on the ground of Hanzinelle, a 18^th century chateau 1 hour from Brussels.

The members of the Hayez-Ijak family organized this event, who are themselves contemporary art collectors. The event did show great sensibility towards displaying the work on show on the grounds, and looked professional, beautiful and perfectly organized. Any profit of any sales was destined to the foundation Sanaa Sasa, in collaboration with En Avant des Enfants, that works for orphans in Congo.

I was pleasantly impressed walking around the grounds, enjoying not only the carefully kept gardens and meadows,

but encountering high level of work.

Starting in the barn where indoor work was located

(works by Olivier LELOUP, Philippe BRODZKI and myself, sculptures and large format drawings),

the walk continued around the pond towards the chateau where several metal works were located (Philippe BRODZKI, Catherine FRANCOIS and Kinga et Anatoly STOLNIKOFF)

Leaving behind the chateau, there were a few small bronzes by Bernard HAUREZ in the ziggurat, and sitting perfectly in the smallest pond was a big piece by

Odeaubois.

By the edge of the pond, a devil like figure by Jean-Claude SAUDOYEZ

lead to an installation of several other figures.

Walking towards the green house, hanging from several trees, mushrooms

like structures by Elodie ANTOINE. In the glassless green house, there was an installation by Jean – Guy CLOSSET that celebrated

the importance of the chateau as a forge mill; a inconspicuous garden shed housed a rather surprising and refreshing installation by Dominique Ijak.

Coming back towards the edge of the pond, a series of works by Marianne LEMAIRE and Florence FRESON, in blue stone favoured in Belgium, and slate, lead to metal pieces by Christina JÉKEY that hang from trees or were placed on the floor.

The walk continued towards the works by Rose-Marie WARZEE that emerged from the meadows, and took us to small to medium scale pieces by Jean MORETTE. After that, with the chateau across the pond, works by the late Nic JOOSEN were scattered on the largest area available. Which was more than appropriate given the monumental scale of these pieces, whose negatives space framed the landscape around them.

The ‘tour’ as such, ended with bronzes by Félix ROULIN, a very popular Belgium artist who is very present in many squares around Belgium.

Overall, one could feel the sensibility that informed the placement of each one of the works included in this event. Or appreciate the efficiency of the organizers, and Jacques’ well-honed marketing skills behind all. I am certainly grateful and honoured to have been invited to participate.

As I am writing this, the very day of the closure, I don’t know how the Hayez-Ijak evaluate the experience, or if there are any planes to repeat the event somehow. Could we hope for a biennial?

2011-04-14T04:20:00.002-07:00

Intervention Art Trail / Fitzrovia Noir

http://www.fitzrovianoir.com

Fitzrovia Noir Art Intervention Trail (http://www.fitzrovianoir.com), was launched on April 2^nd and finished with Easter.

What was it? Art by 22 artists was placed in shops, pubs, houses and on the very street on Fitzrovia, central London, to form a trial that was more like an art treasure hunt: it started on Westminster University (with my piece) on Wells Street and finished on Percy Street. with Paul Snowdown.

As treasures hunt go, this one was great fun, and the art was very very good most of the time (only very few pieces made me question the effort and we only missed or couldn't locate 3 works).

As we started with my piece and the mandatory photographic session, we followed the map of the trial: the first work must mention was Angus Ogilve’s, that made us realize we were in a arty treasure hunt. Finding it was tricky but worth it. You can see the images in http://www.fitzrovianoir.com/page3.htm.

Garry Hunter’s photo in the designer furniture shop was perfectly located, even matching the colour scheme…I must mention also Lucy Williams photographs inside a café in Charlotte Street, or the absolutely wonderful miniature chewing gum paintings along Tottenham Street by appropriately named Chewing Gum Man. Or try to find Gustavo Ortiz’ small sculpture inside a pub, or his other piece and that of Manuel Sanmartin in Pollocks Toy Museum, or Valerie Joseph’s poetry along Scala Street. or really enjoy viewing Daisy Richardson videos in probably the most appropriate location: the window shop of a video shop…

That was another treat; to discover Fitzrovia (the very central part of London) and , for me, unknown magic places such a Pollocks Toy Museum. For £5 one can tour this miniature museum and marvel at its collection.

I understand this is a biannual event and, if this year comprised 22 artists, I think the curators/artists of Fitzrovia Noir are planning to double the participants artists and shops/locations

Showing my velvet soldier / Exhibiendo mi soldado de terciopelo

2010-03-20T03:52:00.000-07:00

In English:

In March I had the opportunity to show ‘I Wanna Be…’ in the AVA gallery, in the University of East London, as part of ‘A Moving Exhibition’. (www.amovingexhibition.com).

This work of mine has a special place in my creative process. It dates from 2005 and is part of the soldier and camouflage series, which still is ongoing. There is a whole exhibition contained in that series alone, and I should try to organize a proposal for some place soon.

This work is part of a ongoing reflection about the media: since war is something that occupies considerable space in newspapers and other media, so I continue to come across with images that are constantly feeding my imaginary of war and weaponry

The piece is about contradictions, between the apparent and the obvious. It’s based on a image of a charging British soldier the first year of the Iraq invasion. I worked such photo endlessly upside-down for a year. From that period I produced a great deal of large-scale works on paper of this image that got initially my attention formally. Yet one day I turned it around, and saw the face of this man , and I saw fear in his eyes. I didn’t know if he was dead or alive. Here lied in front of me possibly a father and a husband, a son, and brother, a grandson or a boyfriend. And I started thinking about his humanity, and about all those whose lives passed in front of our eyes in the news, and from whom we’ll never hear again. Those names, which we don’t know and will never, know.

Yet, these soldiers have as a trade the possibility to take lives in their on hands, to be one with their gun.

‘I Wanna Be…’ is sober and quite blunt in its statement. On one hand, we have the mutual affirmation among the crimson of the velvet of the body and backdrop, and the suggested red of the bloody trade of the soldier. On the other hand, we have the implicit absurd of the use of a textile that is soft to the touch, suggesting the domestic, antique, and interiors with low lighting, whisperings or polite soft conversation (as in a church); while the image of the charging soldier remains all too clear, and so its implied capability for destroying and producing unbearable noise. The attractive softness and plush backdrop in velvet hold the formal game of the soldier’s body, in which the organs blend with the gun, forming one tight unit.

En español

En marzo tuve otra vez la oportunidad de exhibir “I Wanna be…’ (Quisiera ser…), en el marco de ‘A Moving Exhibition’. (www.amovingexhibition.com), en la galería AVA de la Universidad del Este de Londres.

Esta obra mía tiene un lugar muy especial en mi proceso creativo. Data del año 2005 y forma parte de mi serie, aún vigente, de soldados y camuflaje. Sé que en la misma está contenida toda una exhibición, y debería organizar muy pronto una propuesta.

Esta pieza es parte de una reflección de los medios: ya que la guerra es un tema que aún sigue ocupando un espacio considerable en los periódicos y en los medios en general, yo continúo encontrándome con imágenes que alimentan constantemente mi imaginario de guerra y armas.

‘Quisiera Ser…’ versa en contradicciones entre lo aparente y lo obvio. Está basada en una foto de la prensa de un soldado británico, el primer año de la invasión de Irak. Trabajé la foto cabeza abajo durante un año de una manera costante, y durante este período produje una serie de obras sobre papel de gran formato. Pero un día volteé la imagen, y vi la cara de este hombre, arma en mano, con miedo en sus ojos. No sabía si después de un año estaba vivo o muerto. Ahí estaba, frente a mi, la imagen de un padre y un esposo, o un hijo, hermano, un nieto o un novio. Empecé a pensar sobre la humanidad de este sujeto , y sobre la vida de todos aquellos que pasan frente a nuestros ojos en las noticias, y de los cuales nunca oiremos otra vez, cuyos nombres nunca llegaremos a conocer.

Y sin embargo, entre los deberes de la profesión de estos soldados está la posibilidad de tomar la vida de otros, ser uno con su arma.

‘Quisiera Ser…’ es una obra sobria y contundente. Por un lado, tenemos la afirmación mutua del rojo del terciopelo del cuerpo del soldado y del panel de soporte, y el rojo sugerido de la profesión sangrienta del soldado. Por otro lado, tenemos el absurdo implícito del uso de la tela suave, doméstica y anticuada , que sugiere interioes de iluminación tenue y conversaciones en susurrus (como una iglesia); mientras que la imagen del soldado en pleno ataque es muy evidente, como es la capacidad implícita de destrucción y ruido. La irresistible suavidad del terciopelo del panel acolchonado sujetan el juego formal de la metralleta con el cuerpo y sus órganos vitales.

2010-02-03T01:37:00.000-08:00

MOST RECENT SCULPTURES / ESCULTURAS MAS RECIENTES

Inglés

This blog very much follows the one before, in the sense that is about the same pieces. But a long time has passed since then and I’ve reached another resolution.

I have to thank the Royal college of Art for that because I’ve just applied for the MA in Sculpture and I wanted to included really ‘fresh’ work in the portfolio. As it happened, they were so fresh that I finished the last one two days before the application deadline, 27th January 2010!

The original idea with these pieces was to use them as moulds in order to make many paper copies, originally for that little show I had in Barcelona. The lack of time made me left the pieces half resolved: all carved, smoothed, bare timber and covered in Vaseline too.
I am much happier with the latest version though.

The pieces, the bigger ones at least, are based in little models I made in clay. The timber consisted in thick wheel-like logs. The clay models were equally rounded. I proceeded to cut away chunks symmetrically. The results were geometrical, non figurative, quite impersonal. Armed with my chainsaw, guided loosely by the models, I ended up with lively versions of the models; quite unpredictable in the sense that timber splits all too often.

I ended up with a helix, a pudding and a group of malformed breasts.

The thing about embracing failure and making the most of unpredictable splits is that the results are unexpected, surprising and a revelation.

All these pieces are related to a previous, non-figurative sculpture of mine, ‘Feathers, Fur, Veins, Scales’. They draw on suggestions and have clear organic references, even though there are not figurative. I am very curious about this because I am a figurative painter, and don’t see the point, in my case, of being any different.

I wanted the pudding to be similar to ‘Cabeza’, which the only piece that was instantly gratifying: after painting it black, I carved a drawing on the surface. But I carved that pudding so much I had to paint it all black afterwards.

The helix was meant to red, but the timber was so horrible that wasn’t possible to get any smother finish, so I carved all the surface and paint it white. I quite like it…
And regarding the breasts, the timber was so horrible at the flatter ends that, in order to cover the mess, I knotted some black wool around it, in a very cathartic way. This piece is probably my favourite.
Their names are Blanco (White), Negro (Black), Gris (Gray) and Cabeza (for it weights as much as a head!)

Spanish

Este blog es la continuación del anterior, ya que se trata de las mismas piezas. Pero ha pasado mucho tiempo desde entonces y he alcanzado una resolución totalmente diferente.

Tengo que agradecerle al Royal College of Art por ello, ya que acabo de mandar mi dossier para el master de escultura. Queria incluir obras ‘fresquitas’. Y las obras estan tan frescas que apenas terminé la última dos días antes de la fecha de entrega, el 27 de enero!

La idea original consistía en usar estas piezas como moldes para hacer muchas copias en papel, que iba a incluir en aquella exposición que tuve en Barcelona. La falta de tiempo me obligó a dejarlas sin terminar: todas talladas, lijadas, sin pintar, y cubiertas de Vaselina.

Estoy mucho más contenta con la última versión.

Las tres obras más grandes, están basadas en unas maquetas que hice en arcilla. La madera que tenía consistía en tres troncos, que parecían tres ruedas muy gruesas. Partiendo de maquetas de estos troncos, empecé a cortar pedacitos de una manera simétrica. Terminé con figuritas muy geométricas, que no eran figurativas, y muy impersonales. Con mi motosierra, y quiada por aquellas maquetas, terminé con unas versiones un poco inesperadas, ya que la madera se había agrietado previamente.

Terminé con unas piezas que parecían una hélice, una gelatina y un grupo de tetas malformadas.
La cosa de asumir fallas y usarlas y darles la vuelta es que los resultados son inesperados, asombrosos, y mucho más interesante que los que uno había planeado, y una revelación.

Todas estas piezas están relacionadas con una obra previa, “Plumas, Pelo, Venas, Escamas’. Todas estas obras sugieren más que connotan, y muestran claras referencias a lo orgánico, sin ser figurativas. Este último aspecto de mi escultura más recientes me llama mucho la atención, ya que como pintora yo uso la figuración, y no me ineresa para nada incursionar en la abstracción en mi pintura.

Mientras progresaba con estas últimas piezas, yo quería que la gelatina fuera como ‘Cabeza’, la pieza más pequeña y la única instantaneamente gratificante: después de pintar de negro parte de su superficie, dibujé sobre ella con una gubia. Pero me pasé tallando la gelatina tanto que no me quedó otra que seguir tallando y pintar de negro todo.

La hélice iba a ser roja, pero la madera estaba tan agrietada que decidí tallar toda la superficie, como en la gelatina, y pintarla toda de blanco. Me gusta así…

Y, respecto a las tetas, la madera también estaba tan horrible en las partes más planas, que para cubrir los defectos usé lana negra, haciendo nudos de una manera muy catártica. Esta obra es una de mis preferidas.
Las he lamado Blanco, Negro, Gris y Cabeza (porque pesa tanto como una cabeza!)

Paper Sculptures / Esculturas de Papel

2009-07-31T14:25:00.001-07:00

Inglés

Back in May I had a little show in Barcelona (I think was the first of my posts). While I was preparing the work for this exhibition, I considerer to show sculpture, as well as the painting a drawing I ended up taking with me. The criteria of the chosen work was apart the possible dialogue among the pieces (subject-matter, colour, etc), was the easiness for travelling.
The paintings and drawings I finally took were more than ready months back and I just packed them very carefully, including the very large drawing.
Yet, I really wanted to bring sculpture into the show’s concept. I always had sculpture in any of my shows. Essential because as I paint or draw, is more than likely that I am also hitting some timber or sticking something together to form a volume. It’s part of my creative process.
So back in January I was hitting timber, frantically. I had these wood that I’ve dragging from studio to studio for as long as 7 years, and at the beginning of the year I knew then what to do with them: 3 pieces to shape, to smooth, paint in order to draw on their surfaces. Nothing representational, just form, that will serve later as moulds to make paper replications. I wanted the whiteness of the paper, the repetition of the form, the possibility to build up a group that would expand in-situ. I wanted to make an installation in paper in Barcelona. Paper pieces that I could ship in 3 boxes, ahead of me.
But living as I am in England, in the middle of the winter, I ran out of time: I could only use my chainsaw in late February. Not enough time.
But the concept prevails. I will show this one day, hopefully soon, very soon. Here are the images of the pieces, before they’re painted or their surfaces carved with drawings.
Want to see drawing on timber? Check on my web http://www.renatafernandez.com/
For a sculpture of mine “Feather, Fur, Veins and Scales”. It looks like a snake.

Spanish

En mayo, como contara en uno de mis primeros blogs, tuve una muestra modesta en Barcelona. Cuando estaba preparando las obras para la exposición, pensaba también en llevar escultura, aparte de las pinturas y el dibujo que terminé llevando. El criterio para escoger las obras respondía no sólo al diálogo entre las piezas (tema, color, materials, etc), sino también la facilidad para transportarlas.
Las pinturas y el dibujo que llevé estaban listos desde hace meses, así que sólo tenía que empacar cuidadosamente.
Sin embargo, quería introducir escultura en el concepto de la exposición. Yo siempre he mostrado escultura en mis exhibiciones. Y es esencial esta inclusión ya que cuando yo pinto o dibujo, siempre estoy o tallando Madera o pegando algo para hacer un volumen. Es parte de mi proceso creativo.
Y así, en enero, me encontraba yo golpeando madera. Tenía estos bloques que venía arrastrando de estudio a estudio por por lo menos 7 años! A principios de año ya sabía por fin que quería hacer con ellos: 3 piezas, para dibujar sobre sus superficies. Nada figurativo, simplemente forma, que más tarde servirían como moldes para hacer réplicas, y muchas, de papel. Quería para Barcelona el blanco del papel, la repetición de la forma y la prosibilidad de construir una instalación in-situ que se expandiera. Quería 3 diferentes formas, repetidas que pudiera yo poner en 3 cajas y mandar por correo.
Pero cuando se vive en Inglaterra, y estás en la mitad del invierno, no hay plan que valga. Apenas pude usar la motosierra a finales de febrero. Se me acabó el tiempo.
Pero el concepto persiste, y se que mostraré estas piezas alguna día, esperemos que muy pronto.
Quieren ver un dibujo en madera? Vean en mi web http://www.renatafernandez.com/
Y busquen una escultura llamada “Feather, Fur, Veins and Scales”. Parece una culebra.

Military Training / Entrenamiento Militar

2009-07-21T10:09:00.000-07:00

> Not in Spanish

I have this series I've been working on for the last 6 years, and is still ongoing. I call it “Dear Soldier”, for wanting a better word.

The series originated from a press photo, of a soldier the first year of the Irak invasion. You can read about the whole process started by this image on my website http://www.renatafernandez.com/ in Work Biography.

This series comprises drawings, paintings, velvet sculptures but these 2 models I made back in 2006. They're called 'Military Training Video Still', 1 and 2. I used toy soldiers and graphite. I have bags loads of toy soldiers. I really can imagine these sculptures, especially number 2 which is the most complex, as a giant structure in an open space, all surrounded by grass...

No en inglés

Mi trabajo se va desarrollando en series. Hay una serie que empezó hace seis años, y aún sigue, que yo llamo “Querido Soldado…” por llamarla de alguna manera.

Se originó a raíz de una foto de prensa de un soldado el primer año de la invasión de Irak. Pueden leer la evolución de todo el proceso en mi página http://www.renatafernandez.com/ en Biografía de la Obra.

Esta serie comprende no sólo dibujos, pinturas, esculturas en terciopelo sino también estas dos maquetas que hice en el 2006. Las llamo “Entrenamiento Militar, Extracto de Video 1 y 2 (video still suena mejor, hay alguna manera de traducir esto mejor? Acepto sugerencias). Estan hechas con soldados de juguete y grafito. Tengo bolsas y bolsas de soldados de juguetes. Puedo imaginarme estas maquetas como estructuras muy altas, especialmente la número 2, la mas compleja, en un espacio muy abierto, rodeada de grama…

Checking galleries in Madrid + new work / Revisando galerias en Madrid + nuevas obras

2009-07-21T08:32:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of July went to Madrid, in part because my sister lives there but I really went to check galleries. I was so disappointed about the art scene, or lack of it, in Barcelona that followed the recommendations of almost all my friends and went to Madrid. I haven’t got any contacts, I know NO ONE, and so I walked as much as an ugly prostitute in Casa de Campo. I wore my sandals down and I felt like Jesus preaching all over Judea (the 40 degrees Celsius helped), but I found apparent receptive people, with and very positive attitude. And a general high level of work on show. I remained me of what I felt while checking on San Francisco and Munich years ago. I will go back on October with something in hand…
Since I came back from Madrid I had this urgency to take on my watercolours and just be very free and irresponsible, and basically do whatever I like, which is the ideal state for create anything: not to have anything to loose.
I took again, as usual, some of these images I keep collecting from papers and did a series of very fast portraits of apparent nameless people, and a dog kind of mask. You can see the results in these images. I don’t know where I am going with this but at this point I really don’t care. The important thing is not to stop creating and since I am quite stuck with a very large painting to solve from my soldier series this doing for the sake of doing is quite OK… I’ll talk about this later…

En español!!

Los primeros días de julio me fui a Madrid, en parte para visitar a mi hermana que vive allí, pero principalmente para estudiar las galerías. Yo quedé tan desilusionada por el ambiente artístico en Barcelona, o la falta de ello, que decidí seguir los consejos de casi todos mis amigos en Barcelona y me fuí a Madrid. Allí no tengo ningún tipo de contacto, no conozco A NADIE, así que caminé más que una puta fea en Casa de Campo. Gasté el talón de mis sandalias y me sentía como Jesús proclamando por toda Judea (los 40 grados de temperatura ayudaron …), pero me quedé muy impresionada porque la gente parecía aparentemente receptiva. El nivel del trabajo expuesto era en general bastante alto, y me recordaba aquello que sintiera en San Francisco y en Munich en mis viajes de exploración. Volveré en octubre con algo en la mano…
Desde que regresé de Madrid me dió esta urgencia de usar mis acuarelas y simplemente ser libre y muy irresponsible y hacer lo que me diera la gana, que es el estado ideal para crear algo: el no tener nada que perder.
Tomé, como siempre, unas fotos de la prensa, de esas que he ido coleccionando e hice una serie de retratos de gentes sin nombre, y una máscara de perro, o algo así. Vean las fotos. No se dónde voy con estas obras pero no me importa. Lo importante es no parar de trabajar,y ya que estoy paralizada con una obra muy grande que es parte de la serie de soldados, este hacer por hacer me sienta bastante bien… Escribiré de ello en otra occasión.

Right, I've just found out... ? Ya entendi lo de las fotos...

2009-07-17T15:16:00.000-07:00

Yes, I cracked it, I mean, the photo issue... Just view my gallery, and I promise I'll keep you posted, with new images (I've got lots o f new works!

Ok, ya entendi lo de la fotos. Vean mi galeria y les promete que los mantendre informados. tengo un monton de trabajos nuevos!

And how do I make the photos visible????

2009-07-17T15:09:00.000-07:00

I have some imagen in picassa yet I wanted them very visible. Oh how annoying!

The Barcelona Show / La Expo en Barcelona 05 / 2009

2009-07-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

In English

I know it seems to be a little too late to write about a small show I had in Barcelona this time of the year but, I've got photos I haven't published yet anywhere (but in Facebook), and I think this is a good way to start bogging - properly.
It was in May, in the Convent Sant Agusti, and we managed to get a very smart looking show, even though the historical place offer too many inconveniences - don't hammer here, don't hammer there, kind of thing. I must say, I was proud! Yet, despite of the very good reception, the endless amiability of the people running the place - it's not a commercial gallery, Barcelona appeared to me as a backward place for art. Oh, yes, you're reading right, A BACKWARD PLACE FOR ART.

All my friends that are living there and have something to od with art, no exception, mention this, even though they have no plans to move elsewhere - it might be backward yet the beach still has some pulling power, I guess.
The ones that have galleries of sorts mention the lack of scene - the no existence of the kind of alternative places that make art so lively in places like London, although such liveliness doesn't translate in a monetary transaction most of the time...
One told me: GO TO MADRID!

Ahora en español!

Ya se que parece un poco tarde a estas alturas para escribir sobre aquella pequeña exhibición que tuve en Barcelona en mayo pero, ya que debo empezar a 'blogear' me parece un tópico excelente. Además tengo fotos que no he publicado en ninguna parte (sin mencionar Facebook...)
Fue en mayo en el Convent Sant Agusti, y logramos montar una expocición que se veía muy elegante y profesional, a pesar de estar en un lugar histórico lleno de incoveniencias: no martilles aquí, no martilles allá… Ese tipo de cosas. Debo confesar que me sentí muy orgullosa! Y sin embargo, pese a la buena recepción, la amabilidad de la gente que gerencia el lugar – no es una galeria comercial, Barcelona me pareció un lugar donde el arte simplemente no se mueve. Oh si, están leyendo bien, EL ARTE AHI NO SE MUEVE.
Todos mis amigos que viven ahí, y que tienen algo que ver con arte, sin excepción, dicen lo mismo, aunque ninguno tiene planes de mudarse: supongo que la playa tiene sus atractivos…
Aquellos que tienen espacios expositivos mencionan la falta de escena, ese tipo de ambiente que sólo espacios alternatives logran crear, y que le han dado tanta fama a ciudades como Londres. Aunque vale la pena mencionar, tal escena a veces no se traduce en operaciones monetarias la mayoría de las veces…
Una me dijo: VETE PARA MADRID!!!

just starting

2009-06-19T11:41:00.001-07:00

Just starting, since I must do blogging