por johannasquiros






Do you consider yourself as an artist?
No, the reason why I don’t consider myself as an artist, because on the first place I am just a student......and the second one and I believe the most important one (because it includes any other reason) I think the artist´s "Title" is very ostentatious and it must be used carefully, you are not an artist after you get your degree at the university, it comes with the years and experience..... I am not talking about 2 or 5 years of plastic production, (I mean after you have concluded with your studies); of course there are exceptions.

What did you make choose the path of art and who did you get in contact the first time?
The reason why I have chosen this path was the fact of getting into the university, to the art school......... I found this faculty looking to study graphic design...... because, since I was 11 years old the graphic design left a trail in my life, because of the admiration I had for advertising and the visual one (bio dimensional, and audiovisual). With that I want to get to the point, that in my supposed predefined way, I found an adjacent option. When supposedly I was so sure of studying graphic design, I found engraving.... which captivated me completely and was the reason that I felt in love with plastic arts.
As I mentioned already before, my first conscious meeting with arts was when I singed into the Universidad Nacional (national university).

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Which Kind of Factors Influence your Art?
Since I am an art student I am not able to talk about a plastic production..... Now I just get involved with an exploration of materials and techniques...but within that exploration I have a sexual thematic influence, as a human being, as a fleshly feeling and leisure.

Is (are) there any artist(s) that you admire and caused this an on your artwork?
Any Artist itself....
In my case I feel attracted about the artists whose project has more an explicit sexual topic, like for instance Giger... but it doesn’t mean I don’t like other artists, exhibitors of other kind of subjects that belong to other places and cultures.
Because my work is based on engraving, I admire lot exhibitors as Durero and to mention a Costa Rican one, Paco Amiguetti, who has been one of the most outstanding plastic producers of our Country.

What is your personal goal as an artist and in which technique would you like to realize yourself as one?
My goal far from being wealthy, it’s about leaving a trail on history and being recognized due to my good development as a plastic artist. The satisfaction of doing a good job doesn’t compare to any monetary recognition.
For now the technique I am working with is engraving..... in the future I would like to mix techniques as painting, engraving and drawing.

How difficult is for you the path of having a personal success on the art field in Latin America?
Now I wouldn’t dare to talk through any non-personal commentaries about how difficult it is to get a place in Latin America... but what I do dare to say is that me as possible future plastic producer, I must and have to do my best...

Does the contemporary art have the chance to be accepted and appreciated by most of the people in Latin America?
Of course.... in this moments it is... What happens is that many people get confused between contemporary art and a production with a lack of sense and many times it is irrelevant.

What would be the strategy or way so art could achieve more popularity in Costa Rica?
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You shouldn´t talk about strategies when it comes to art... but I can say that a lot of the contemporary art already is positioned in Costa Rica and that also the reason of its positioning is not because of how good the exhibitors of this movement are, it is more a matter of a cultural acceptance of the society..... What I mean with this is that if the society doesn’t want it or is not prepared in an educational way, the art as such (leaving behind the time the product belongs) will never be accepted or positioned.

Do you think the Artist is born as one, or is made through the process?
I believe some persons are born with more skills to understand and project what they want on a plastic level ... but definitely an artist is made. That is because several knowledge and skills are required to make an artistic production.

Is art a process of thought and/or an inspiration?
That´s a fact, definitely art is the product of these two factors, because an inspiration with no thoughts would give as a result a simple painting (just to mention a plastic technique). In the same way, you can´t project anything in a plastic way without an inspiration or a definitive thought of something.

It is important to an artist the professional education?
Yes, I already mentioned for this interview how important a professional education is.

Which kind of personal qualities and/or educational ones as well do you think a good artist must have?
Artist are human beings (of course) so, they have different personalities and psychological qualities, that´s why you can´t talk about personal qualities when it comes to that, but it´s a fact that this qualities are reflected many times on the artwork of the artist.
Regarding to the academic qualities, that´s relative, cause people require of many different kinds of efforts to learn... that means that one person may have the ability to learn more easily and manipulate the knowledge about art faster than others.

Is Costa Rican art a reflection of its traditions?
It’s a fact, art is the result of the society, of time and culture...that´s why in general a plastic artwork is going to be affected by its environment even in if this influence is weak.

On what is “success” based as an artist for you?
Is based on the relevance of the work. And this is not related necessarily with the time it is developed...for example van Gogh... which one had his relevant acceptance and understanding after his death.

Must an Artist be prepared to defend its work on a professional way, using concepts and/or professional technical language?
Sure, defending your artwork is really important, because it not only proves the knowledge you have about your own projection but also, this gives credibility and justification.
Obviously, to make a plastic defense you may use a language according to the environment. This goes hand in hand with the conceptual and the project´s methodology.

Do the topic and the composition must be planned before you get started with the artwork or can they take shape during the process?
Is necessary to think before you begin with the artwork, thinking how to resolve the composition, the color, etc, (on a level the project´s technique or method demand, when it comes to the plastic)
It´s for sure, that during the process of the artwork´s execution, it can change or take other different paths.

Has been the Costa Rican art influenced by the North American or European art?
Art is definitely moving through the mass, it means that not only Costa Rican art has a North American influence, but also has an Asian one (this for instance is the case of the Costa Rican artist, Paco Amiguetti, with the art of the Japanese prints)

Is the school of life, lived experiences, important factors for an aspiring artist?
Of course, as I said before, an professional education is very important and also necessary, but an artist is not only made at the classroom (nowadays) but rather, the life or school of the artist beginnings once he/she has acquired he basic knowledge at the class rooms.