Thinkspace Gallery is proud to present Curiot’s solo exhibition Act 1: Warped Passages, in the gallery’s main room. In anticipation for the show, we have an exclusive interview with Curiot that is a soundbite into the artist’s mind. Short and sweet; discover the inspiration behind the show, a symbolic day in the studio, and what he wishes was invented.
SH: Last year in an interview with The Hundreds, you go into detail about your California upbringing and wanting to move to Mexico, care to share some of that story with our readers here?
C: Yeah, after high school I wasn’t doing much so I decided to move back to Mexico and ended up studying art.
SH: You’ve mentioned that you’re outside environment and Mexican culture strongly inspires your work, is your studio a blank slate or do you surround yourself with inspiration within the studio as well?
C: I just go with the flow with whatever interests me at the moment. The work itself takes me down different paths, just try to stay open as possible.
SH: What is the inspiration or narrative behind the current exhibition?
C: The strangeness of life and this question of what is real, are we all just part one highly elaborate simulation? Some little kids project from some super advanced race haha.
SH: A handful of your pieces involve mixed media and elements of folk art, like weaving or carpentry, did you collaborate on those pieces or teach yourself the trades?
C: I like to make everything myself but there are some exceptions, like the pieces I’ve made in the past that incorporate knitting, my friend Julieta helped me out with that. I try to learn as many skills as I can so I have full control over the creative process.
SH: What does a day in the studio look like?
C: Like a leaf in a pond
SH: Your pieces involve a lot of detail from subtle shifts in tones and to different patterns, is it safe to say your process is almost meditative?
C: Very, it’s what I love the most, the loss of time and the thought process that surges from that state.
SH: Favorite Mexican folktale?
C: Popol Vuh, so good!
SH: The beasts in your work possess a god like quality and interaction with the human-like figures in your work, can you elaborate on the dynamic of these creatures to the rest of the world they inhabit? Or outline what their presence symbolizes?
C: Always considered them as creatures from the spirit realm.
SH: Favorite Color?
C: It’s always fluctuating, right now it’s lavender before it was indigo haha
SH: What do you wish was invented? Would it help your artwork, your life, or the world?
C: A real fucking spaceship! None of this rocket bs. Let’s see what’s out there!
Please join us this Saturday, May 28th from 6-9pm for the Opening Reception of Act 1: Warped Passage. The show will not only feature a collection of new paintings but two new digital editions and an adventurous installation component, including musical accompaniment from Franz (Pira MD Records). To catch a sneak peak of what is happening inside the gallery, add us on snapchat at thinkspace_art , as we’ve already shared Curiot shopping through yards and yards of brightly colored fabric. What could he be making?
