PG: Tell us about your favourite hang out spot in London or elsewhere? This could be a
bar/restaurant, a club, a cultural institution or anywhere you enjoy spending your
time.
FSL: Trying to stick to London, I really like the De Beauvoir arms for a pint and love to go
to the National Gallery for a quick view before/after doing things in central London
or if I am on my way West. I also love the margarita in A Bar With Shapes For A
Name.
PG: What’s your favourite London gallery?
FSL: Tough. White Cube Bermondsey has a very efficient architecture (and typically
amazing artworks) in which as you walk in your body immediately slows down and
you’re kind of silenced. The building gives you the space to contemplate and
process information without overpowering or competing with the works. I also really
like Grove and how they work with emerging artists and approach the gallery with
tons of creativity to exhibit, find and create opportunities for their artists.
PG: Can you name your favourite undiscovered or emerging artist (the more obscure the
better!). How did you discover them and what do you like about their work?
FSL: There are plenty of incredible artists that no one knows about and it is hard to pick
and choose. But, I can start by saying Paula Turmina. She went to the Slade with
me and we continue to be great friends, and even though it sounds like I’m trying to
plug in a friend, I think that it actually is the fact that I know too much and highly
respect her practice, that I see the great value and the potential for the work to
continue evolving and growing. In a very different context, I have been indulging
myself in learning about more undiscovered Venezuelan artists and ceramists and
would be happy to share a few. Living: Maria Elena Pombo (aka Fragmentario),
Emilia Azcárate, Domenica Aglialoro, Mariana Monteagudo, Isabel Cisneros, Noemi
Marquez, Magdalena Fernandez. Dead: Marisol Escobar, Tecla Tofano.
PG: Can you share a bit about your artistic journey and how you arrived at your current
style or medium?
FSL: I started painting as a child. My mother put me in a million extracurricular activities
and painting was the one that always stuck. From that it felt natural to start my
career in drawing and painting but since I started thinking about this as a career,
forms have always kind of jumped out of the 2D surface. So it is no surprise that
the paintings can be seen as sculptures nor is it surprising that I am now exploring
sculpture and installation through weaving and ceramics. Additionally, I was taught
embroidery in primary school even though my brother did not learn anything of the
sort... and even though I rejected sewing for a really long time because of the
stigma I felt it carried, I have now embraced it as part of my way of communicating
and drawing.
PG: What themes or concepts drive your creative process and influence your work?
FSL: Migration, reconstruction, home and femininity.
PG: How does your background or personal experience impact the art you create?
FSL: My background and experience is the absolute result of the work I make. I think
that because from a young age I moved abroad, and have moved back and forth
throughout my life, I was always asked where I was from. But the thing was that no
one really knew where or what Venezuela was. Therefore I felt a certain
responsibility to talk about the place I come from and I discovered that through my
work I could talk about it. I could pick and choose the themes that interested me
the most or those that I wanted to discuss and it has slowly flowed into the practice
I have nowadays.
PG: Are there particular emotions or responses you hope to evoke in viewers of your
art?
FSL: That is a good question I haven’t thought of that much. I guess there is something
about tedious labour (hahaha) in my work and I would hope people can see the
effort, time and detail. However, The Million Bag(s) Project, I do want people to be
astonished by the concept, effort and the numbers. How many bags I’ve drawn
(342,987 Jan 24th 2024) versus how many more I have left and the time it has
taken and will take to actually make it to the 7.7 million goal. It is actually more likely
that I will die without finishing... and I would hope this gets people thinking either
about the Venezuelan migration crisis or any other time that we read or hear
numbers in the news of people dying or fleeing or injured and we merely gasp yet,I
believe, we have completely normalized all those headlines.
PG: How do you approach the use of colour, texture, and form in your practice?
FSL: Color is very important for me because I come from a place where bright colors
shine all year long. From macaws flying through the city instead of pigeons to an
untamable bright green tropical jungle, infinite amount of blues that vary from beach
to beach and a current invasion of butterflies in all colors and sizes, I am used to
seeing color everywhere I look. I try to mimic that explosion of colorful brightness in
my paintings. Furthermore texture and shape is a direct result from the materials I
use. I like works that are alive and that they themselves dictate how their shape is
or how they will absorbe and change color. For example, I merely place together
cardboards I find and staple them, the cardboards that come to me are the ones
that choose how they will be once placed together. Their shape dictates which fits
where best. Another example is when decoloring the canvas or linen with chlorine (a
product widely used for cleaning all kinds of things in Venezuela), first the fabric
comes out wrinkled and that creates a texture that is then mimicked with paint and
also it means that the chlorine and the paint will probably react in time to change
the appearance of the work. These changes are intentional and encouraged as they
mean that the works, like us, are alive.
PG: Are there specific artists, movements, or cultural influences that inspire your work?
FSL: Very interested in abstract expressionism, arte povera and brutalism.
PG: What role does cross-disciplinarity play in your artistic practice?
FSL: I try to work in multiple disciplines to explore the same idea or problem with a
different approach. I guess my way of thinking is that you can’t resolve a problem if
you’re trying to do the same thing over and over again without trying out something
new. I also practice letting things flow and trying to work with the unconscious
following my instincts, in that manner I end up exploring a variety of things and
mixing multiple disciplines to try to achieve whatever is in my head. However,
making works in different disciplines does not resolve any queries I might have had,
but always raises new ones and invites me to further research and move through
my instincts to make new work.
PG: Can you share a bit about your creative workspace and how it contributes to your
process?
FSL: I think that what I find is crucial for my work is moving from Caracas to London and
creating works in both places. I need to immerse myself in the tropical rhythm and
then I have to step away to think and process and to later create. In addition to
that, I need good lighting, ideally natural light and big wall space.
PG: Are there rituals, routines or even objects that help inspire you or allow you to
maintain your artistic momentum?
FSL: I like to walk to the studio, the walks start preparing me mentally to work. Lots of
ideas come into mind in my walks. And music or podcasts... they vary depending
on the time of day and mood. For example, I can listen to a news podcast in the
morning or an artist interview but if its after 5pm and I still want to work I either
listen to reggaeton or a standup comedian. That and lots of tea.
PG: How do you see your work evolving in the future, both stylistically and thematically?
FSL: I think I will continue exploring within painting but I will also work more with artisans
in Venezuela to create more sculptures and installations celebrating their traditions. I
think its a natural transition for me in creating work to better talk about my country.
PG: Are there specific goals or aspirations you have for your artistic career in the coming
years?
FSL: Plenty, but I’ve been told not to overshare :).
