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Discover / Meet the Artist
Interview with Mariu
"Creating allows me to experience the world as both graspable and ungraspable, constantly renewed by new artistic works."
Featuring
23.01.2025
Discover / Meet the Artist
Featuring
23.01.2025
Mariu's artistic journey offers a profound exploration of aesthetics, emotion, and the layered narratives that shape our contemporary experience. With a practice deeply rooted in both personal history and the complexities of modern digital culture, the work navigates themes of violence, memory, and self-reflection. Mariu's approach challenges boundaries—both conceptual and visual—creating pieces that compel viewers to not only observe but also question. This interview delves into the creative philosophy, inspirations, and challenges that drive such evocative and thought-provoking art.
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How important is it for viewers to understand the intended message of your work? Does ambiguity add value, or do you seek clarity in your expression?
I believe that all artists are endowed with what could be called a divine intuition, one that blends the power and significance of aesthetics with matters of research and theoretical processes. Therefore, there are works that can move the viewer without any discourse or concept, where only aesthetic concerns are addressed, and vice versa. It is clear that all artists seek a resolute image that evokes and is balanced according to the parameters established by the history of art and current contemporaneity. These boundaries can sometimes become blurred but there is a need to assert the importance of studying the limits of contemporary art and funding artistic research projects that expand the path we are transforming. It is true that I firmly believe a work must first respond to an aesthetic character, influenced by composition, color, and form, without necessarily requiring a justification for the viewer to feel a particular emotion. As long as the work is formally successful, it should not be devalued for lacking a more conceptual character; it is not necessary to secure a place in the world of contemporary art. On the other hand, works of art that focus solely on process and concept, in my opinion, can be more challenging for viewers who lack certain artistic education and therefore have a more limited audience due to not presenting a concrete and visual aesthetic image. Any approach is viable and necessary to break with new conventions and find new ways to create original and unprecedented images. In my work, aesthetic value predominates, despite the significant theoretical framework that explains the symbolism and decisions regarding the use of materials, formats, and spaces. Although my work is shaped by this theoretical search, I do aim to find a final image that is harmonious and appreciable to the viewer, one that prompts reflection on plastic matters and evokes different emotions and actions with every brushstroke. I am interested in having the viewer be drawn to the way the forms and painting are constructed, to be carried along by the visual journey I have created, and for the painting to speak and move on its own, independently of the concept. Sometimes, it is the painting itself that decides how the work ends.
What unusual or unexpected sources of inspiration have deeply influenced your work?
In my work, both in aesthetic and formal matters, there is a constant influence of the contemporary digital world. I appropriate images from video games rated for adults, which are widely spread among adolescents and children. Games such as GTA: San Andreas or Goat Simulator share similar premises in terms of open worlds that allow exploration and create a false sense of freedom. This helps me guide the viewer along the line of inquiry I am constructing and also to find plastic resources that resemble digital tools and pixel aesthetics. In this way, I reference the importance and danger of the digital flow, the production of images, and their psychological and physical consequences on human beings. We are continuously bombarded with false information, scenes of war, homicides, while at the same time scrolling through memes and empty ten-second videos. My work speaks to the issue of information overload and how, due to this constant exposure, we forget to take time for personal reflection and allow ourselves to be desensitized to violence. The result is a sharper search by human beings to find situations that offer them new experiences and mental stimuli, new images that leave them utterly astonished. Therefore, I found in the world of video games the cradle of violent actions and images consumed daily without question. Playing these games does not imply a change in behavior, but it does contribute to desensitization to both images and the social landscape. The freedom in these games lies in the possibility of killing a prostitute in the street, running over anyone, or destroying furniture and people while embodying the form of a goat. It is curious that in these scenes, one can also find aesthetics and creativity.
Do you feel a personal connection to your subject matter is essential? How has this connection shaped your work?
At the age of fourteen, I encountered the film Megan is Missing (2011), which caused a sort of secondary stress reaction due to its extremely unsettling ending. When I was ten, after chatting with some friends during my afternoon on Juegosdechicas.com, they offered to switch to a more open chat that allowed the exchange of both photos and text, where there were images of all kinds. Since I can remember, I have been bombarded with violent images that have altered my perception of seeing and feeling things. Unintentionally, everything we consume gradually shapes us and skews our interests. Over time, I decided that the best way to channel these unpleasant memories was through art, allowing me to investigate the same images that caused me distress and gradually desensitize myself to their consequences, ultimately reaching a cathartic state. I believe that the concept of a work is inevitably linked to the artist’s experiences; their historical, social, and political context will undoubtedly transform each brushstroke and tool chosen for their work. This gives us a unique character that cannot be found in more technical or mechanical works. We create because we exist, and we exist because we create. In my case, in order to understand the functioning of contemporary societies, it was crucial to delve into the analysis of images that follow the principles of inherent violence in contemporary life. Images transform social reality through their subtle influence on the collective psyche. Creating allows me to experience the world as both graspable and ungraspable, constantly renewed by new artistic works. Art serves to bring into view everything that escapes our gaze. Aesthetic pleasure is the most intense experience one can have; it would not occur without the creator or the viewer. We need the world in order to continue creating.
What are five steps you’re taking to ensure your continual growth as an artist?
For me, the most important aspect of maintaining a creative mind is that it should not only exist within yourself but also in your environment, in your friends, and in your family. Trying to bring art to those around you is a valuable exercise to refresh concepts and maintain a circle rich in culture and aesthetics, which can offer their experience as both spectators and artists. It is an exercise in sharing knowledge and understanding what they feel and see within your work, as long as personal preferences and tastes are set aside. Seeking objectivity and the collective vision that may exist in your work can help you solidify your confidence and see more clearly what areas can be improved. On the other hand, it is interesting to practice experimental technical exercises that do not require any type of brilliant resolution in order to build confidence in your automatic processes and arrive at solutions and proposals that you may not have reached in a mechanical and deliberate manner. In my case, painting allows me to explore new textures, tools, materials, supports, and so on. It is also necessary to attend exhibitions, museums, and social events that allow you to expand your knowledge, leaving aside artistic practice for a while, but without forgetting the role that understanding different ways of creating plays. This helps me stay in contact with people who have similar interests but completely different artistic solutions, thereby exploring new possibilities for my own work. My favorite part is the documentation and reading of texts, whether aesthetic or not, in which you can find similarities or images that interest you for new projects. It is a way to stimulate creativity and imagine different worlds that other artists have already established and explored. Finally, the most necessary element: rest. It is essential, as a human being, to take indefinite breaks where you cannot create, whether due to lack of time or experiencing an artistic block. Sometimes, it is necessary to view proposals from a distance in order to improve and continue creating. We are not machines, and we also need to take naps or touch some grass.
How do you feel social media is shaping the way art is created, consumed, and valued today?
It plays a revealing role in how art is understood and will be understood. We create images without pretext, merely to continue sharing them on social media, and they lack any justification for why they should exist in the world or why they are necessary. The first issues begin to emerge regarding copyright for digital images and their creation through artificial intelligence, which sometimes overshadow traditional creators due to their lower cost. Social media art is mediocre, of poor quality, and pixelated, but it remains interesting due to its accessibility and its ability to reach a different type of audience. The physical experience of encountering a work of art and experiencing it with all the senses is thus lost, whether facing a crowd of museum tourists or a guide who breaks the silence in the room. The magic of encountering the artists themselves and rediscovering new forms, the magic of seeing and touching the textures and brushstrokes chosen by the artist, or of smelling the room where the work is displayed. However, this is not the reality for most creators, but rather for certain artists who may not have the resources to find a more direct way to interact with their art, or who seek a specific audience that prefers to engage with this type of work. Social media creates a false sense of pseudo-equality and pseudo-democracy, where there are no limits, meaning anyone can be recognized, yet no one is truly recognized. Those who engage with social media must sell a product; this is no less valid than the product sold by a traditional artist. It is a way to commercialize art and reach more people in order to navigate adulthood and pay bills. For me, the problem does not lie in how we perceive art after social media, as there are established parameters, but rather in how images are consumed and displayed. A kind of intimacy is constantly broken, and it becomes an automatic process that does not allow us to truly enjoy or reflect on what we see. The issue with social media is that it fails to provoke because this would require an exercise in self-criticism, in self-awareness, or in taking the time to truly understand what we are looking at—something we no longer have the time to do.
How do you reignite creativity during those inevitable periods of self-doubt or stagnation?
I have a small trick that helps me when starting new projects or finding formal solutions to ongoing ones. It involves visiting second-hand stores to search for both magazines and objects that resonate with my discourse and with which I feel a connection. I create a sort of digital archive where I gather all these scenes that may inspire me or serve as a basis for sketches and experiments. As for the magazines, I usually look for old comics because of their linear nature, and I leaf through all the pages, examining the different ways they approach the stories they represent. This helps me have some time alone for reflection, and it also allows me to visit the spaces I inhabit and experience the city in a different way. These stores are filled with discarded objects looking for a new way to find life. Additionally, I really enjoy going to hardware stores in search of new materials, even when I don't have a specific use in mind for them, to experiment more spontaneously. These might include nails, sandpaper, or different types of wood. The materials I seek are, in my case, in response to the violent society I propose, so they are rough, crude, and cold. This practice stimulates and broadens my artistic work.
Can you imagine ever choosing to stop creating art? What might lead you to such a decision?
As artists, we experience art as a true addiction; it is not a choice we make. I would love to be able to dedicate myself to a more technical field that requires fixed studies and, moreover, a stable salary, but I developed a taste for uncertainty and complexity that now prevents me from going more than two weeks without thinking about new artistic projects. Talking with some friends, it is curious how both the body and the mind, when inactive for a period, cry out and demand that you start a new project; it feels necessary for emotional stability. It is hard work due to the limited funding available in some spaces for our projects, and because proposals are needed that support emerging artists who have just finished their studies or are starting in the art world, where we are allowed to produce and given advantages both financially and in terms of organization and networking. Furthermore, painting is very rewarding because when you live with it and understand it, it is highly satisfying to see how it responds and the possibilities it offers for completing a work. However, painting, in my case, can also become my worst enemy because it suddenly brings forth numerous insecurities and issues that require a lot of reflection and hours of concentration to find solutions or support. I could never choose to stop being an artist; I enjoy living overstimulated among turpentine and brushes, pondering how materials work and watching new images come to life that need to be present in contemporary times. I will never tire of the satisfaction that comes from being proud of your work and knowing that something has been well done, regardless of the social or institutional impact it may have.
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Mariu's work is a powerful example of the transformative power of art, revealing its ability to bridge past and present, evoke emotion, and provoke dialogue. By intertwining personal experience with broader societal observations, the practice stands as a reminder of art’s role in documenting and shaping our collective consciousness. As Mariu continues to push boundaries and explore new realms, the work invites viewers to see beyond the surface and engage with the stories that lie within.