24/7 Valencia: Tell us something about your art, philosophy, objectives and projects…

Disneylexya: “From a formal point of view, my art is a cocktail of Pre-Columbian Latin American art and illustration with European influences that creates an alchemy. What influenced me in this sense was leaving Chile, my country of origin, and integrating myself in Valencia. This journey and the need to speak the local language, in my own way, has led me to return to ‘syncretism’. The art of Latin America during the conquest is the art of syncretism, an aesthetic and conceptual meeting of two cultures where the work often looked to religion. In my case, I looked to turn this concept around by using form and colours from Latin America whilst using symbolism from the philosophy of those times.

Sometimes, I mix universal or invented symbols with European myths. I am not dogmatic in that respect and I am conscious of the flexibility of the image and indeed the richness that comes with interpretation. However, my intentions are clear with every element of my work having a function. This makes the language of what I do have a coherent alphabet of sorts and there is a unity with all of the visual art that I present to the public.

From a conceptual point of view, I see my art as a practical reply regarding the question of the art of survival. From my own perspective, in general terms, I would say that art is creativity and “arte”. On the one hand, “creativity” is a mental process whose function is to evaluate the conditions of the medium, the materials available and the ability to respond to the questions posed.  On the other hand, there would be the “art” that i see as games of reflection of our universal knowledge of what we have lived. Depending on our key experiences and how well connected we are to our memories; the art speaks to us with distinctive tones and levels of depth. If you combine this all with creativity, you get the whole picture.

My philosophy is to observe and forget time whilst I lose myself in my work, enjoying the process and the simple things of Street Art like the light, the stone walls and the surrounding vegetation. From time to time, I take a look  to see what’s happening around me and to see who deserves my moral support and I occasionally ask awkward questions when situations need addressing.

My objective from a personal point of view is to use my art as a step towards new paths to be taken in the future. Unfortunately, I was already of an age by the time I took this decision to commit myself to art and life is very short to be involved with other areas. However, I will try everything possible to express myself freely and not be a spider trapped in its web. From a social point of view, my objective has the same function as urban art that is shared by all of my colleagues…understanding art in a public space as an activity of liberty & expression and as a snowball to motivate the people who see it in the streets.

In terms of projects, I would like to be not just a visual artist but create a work that has other ramifications. Obviously, the visual part would be an important aspect but it does not have to be the very essence of the idea. For this work I have spent some time thinking about structures and possibilities, writing and trying to forget about why I think the way I do! Ha-ha! It is a slow process and sometimes I regress but I try to be constant with the medium I work in. One never knows when you are going to leave this space & time continuum and I would like to share this work before that happens.”

Interview by 24/7 Valencia team

Article & photo copyright 24/7 Valencia

 More information: http://www.disneylexya.com