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The final portion of this project is the following interview with artist Alfonso Fernandez Benitez. It provides an artist's perspective of contemporary art in Mexico and further insight into the work of and issues encountered by Mexican artists today:
EC: What kind of art do you make?
AFB: My art is realist and sometimes hyperrealist, since I was young I liked the realist style and as time went on I started to focus on hyperrealism as well.
EC: Tell me about your art, how would you describe it, what are the themes, what do want to express?
AFB: Presently I am doing a series on the human figure that I've wanted to do since I was young; I've always liked the human form so I am starting to develop that a little more. In Mexico there are many taboos concerning nudity, it is automatically categorized as pornography. With my work I want to protest that nudity is not pornographic and that it can be artistic. I use the human figure as my principal theme because to me it is the best subject in the world to paint. I paint in a realist style because in Mexico right now abstract and installation art is everywhere and other forms of contemporary art are being neglected. Here the museums follow the latest trends and impermanent art is what is popular so I use the realist style almost as a form of protest or a way to defend realist and classical styles of art.
EC: I see that you have a mix of styles (still life, figure, abstract) why such a variety and what style do you enjoy the most?
AFB: I don't conform to only one style or technique, I consider myself more versatile, sometimes realism is a little limiting so I do different work like the type of paintings you have. There are things I can't express with realism but I don't do much of other styles because it is not as well received. People are surprised when they see realism and they seem to like it the most of what I do so I sometimes do this style out of necessity.
EC: What gallery/dealer are you signed with, and what are the conditions of the contract (time, amount of art production required, gallery/dealers cut)?
AFB: I have an exclusive one year contract with Galería La Colección in Puebla. They pay me $60,000 (Mexican pesos) per month, and I'm expected to produce four works each month. I get 10% of the purchase price when my art sells and the gallery gets the rest.
EC: Who are the most powerful dealers/galleries in Mexico?
AFB: There are so many, one that I hear mentioned a lot is Galería Praxis.
EC: Has any of your work sold in the international art market?
AFB: Yes, I have sold to particular collectors in New York, Los Angeles, Peru, and Ecuador.
EC: Has any of your work been sold at auction or has any museum or private collection bought any of your work?
AFB: No.
EC: Do you think Mexicans value art?
AFB: Yes, I think they value art but many times they don't really understand it or have any historical context to put it in.
EC: Who is buying art in Mexico?
AFB: There are a few collectors who buy a lot of art, but in my opinion many of them don't have good taste.
EC: Are the international and national markets for Mexican art strong?
AFB: Yes, there seem to be plenty of buyers but if you are not one of the really established artists it is hard to find a good venue to broaden your exposure.
EC: Do you think that the Mexican government supports the arts adequately?
AFB: No, they don't promote it but they do take advantage of certain artists. If you have talent they market you and make you famous but it is just for their own benefit not the enrichment of the society. To me supporting art would mean that they promote all artists. When I was young they didn't have art classes in school, although I took a class on perspective drawing and that's how I discovered I was good at art. The only public art school in Puebla is falling down; I heard that they cancelled classes because the roof collapsed.
EC: Who are other contemporary artists who you admire?
AFB: I identify most with Arturo Rivera, Javier Pelaez, and Roberto Cortázar. I especially like Cortazar's work but I never tire of discovering contemporary artists who I knew nothing about and are doing interesting work.
EC: What artists influence your work?
AFB: Well, I don't read a lot about the history of artists but I did see a biography of Van Gogh that was very interesting, I felt I could relate to his experience in some ways.
EC: Where has your art been recently exhibited?
AFB: My last exhibition was here in Puebla as part of a Galería La Colección group exhibition, and the one before that was at the UPAEP museum.
EC: What are your plans and goals for the future?
AFB: My principal concern right now is to continue expanding my portfolio and exhibiting. My goals are to do exhibitions abroad, participate in important art events, and eventually get my art into the best private collections.
Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/26/arts/26iht-trmex.2055689.html
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