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ANDRES MICHELENA

Expressing thoughts in articulation becomes a very

tedious process for many of us, and sometimes we can't even achieve this task. Sometimes our thoughts, beliefs, and emotions cannot be expressed through words, but rather through creation. Artists tend to do this. They transform their thoughts and ideas in the Broca's area of their brains, but instead of creating words, they create art. Most of them inherit the art gene from an artistic relative, but Andres Michelena, a Venezuelan artist, does not have an art gene, he has an entire gene pool. This probably explains his peculiar way of extracting the thoughts that flourish in his brain and translating them into matter.

“It is a process, a ‘rosary of moments’”.

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Quick Bio: Andres Michelena was born in Caracas, Venezuela in 1963. Conceptual artist. Andres moved to Florida in 2000, to escape the totalitarian regime of Hugo Chavez, and to find a more opportunistic path for his career.

Written by: Mariela Esclusa

INFLUENCES

Andres Michelena has been involved in religious, spiritual,

and esoteric matters for most of his life. Since his first

remarkable solo show in 1989, “Opus Nigrum”, he has

translated the influence of his spiritual path into his

artworks. In a fray of Catholicism, Santeria, Astrology, Alchemy, and

more recently Zen Buddhism, his art has always mirrored

the immersion of himself into his work. He focuses on the

spiritual nature of a question, or principle. Andres takes the

concept of religion and applies it to many of his candid

pieces. “My purpose isn’t to push religion, or to condemn

it, it’s simply to put the subject in a light where it can be

clearly displayed for admiration or even critique.” When

constructing his art,Andres focuses on the present, the

human experience, and what is happening in the life

around him to influence and inspire him. With many

different religions to acquire from, Andres is able to speak

to many different audiences, as well as have a more broad

understanding of the world and its people.

PLAYING WITH ART Throughout the years as an artist, he has explored different

methods and materials. He has played around with paint

(mainly with acrylics and watercolors) over wood, canvas,

and paper. He has made sculptures in clay, glycerin soap,

and plexiglas. Photographs, installations, drawings in

archival ink, and graphite. He even created a technique

using ink stamps; shaping, shadowing, and contouring the

faces of different icons like Andy Warhol and Joseph Beuys. “The canvas is made out of recycled Chinese

newspaper, and I use rubber stamps seals. Some I buy, and

some I make myself.”

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Best Beuys

Warwhole Foods

A more political piece he created

called “Content” using this

technique portrays Obama. Above

Obama’s head appears TinTin from

the popular French comic The

Adventures of TinTin, hovering while

advising Obama, “Careful, Captain.

This is rather tricky.”

“Everything about this piece

represents a thought. The concept is one of optimism,

inspiration, hope, and a dream. However, it is also one of

caution. Promises have been made by the President, and they

have created great expectations.”

“In general my style is: conceptual art”

A different type of his conceptual art projects is called Awa,

which in Japanese means “bubble”.

“I displayed an installation of 108 Buddha's heads made out

of glycerin soap, each with a different message inside.

Empiric notion tells us you can reach knowledge through

experience. The experience in this case, was represented by

the soap, and the knowledge was represented by the

message. To reach knowledge you need to use the head,

dissolving what is sometimes considered sacred as an image,

or eventually valuable as an artwork. It is a challenge for the

viewer. It also states the concept of ‘impermanence’”.

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“Spiritual in Art”

!Being involved in art for so many years, Andres has gone through many themes and stages during his career.

“I have worked in different directions. ‘Spiritual in Art’ could be taken as one, and right now Art by itself. In general: Conceptual Art.”

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Contaminados

Shanghai Lover

THE “KICKOFF” MOMENT When I asked what inspired him to take on a career in the arts he said, “I come from lineage of art

people. Musicians, writers, poets, film directors and painters. I would definitely say: It runs in the

family.” Among his artistic relatives is the most famous Venezuelan painter of the 19th century,

Arturo Michelena.

Although always passionate about art, Andres started college in the path of architecture. During his

last semester, he met a very important Venezuelan artist, Pedro Leon Zapata who gave a lecture in

one of his classrooms. Zapata caused an epiphany to occur in Andres’ life, making him realize that in

architecture, his imagination had limitations, but in art there was no such thing. Shortly after, he

enrolled in the Federico Brandt Art Institute in Caracas, studying Fine Arts and never looked back at

architecture again.

I asked Andres when he felt his career as an artist kicked off. He told me that he has not had a

“kickoff” moment to his career, but rather several. He seems very opportunistic as he sees every

single moment as a kickoff for his career. “It’s the actual moment, and probably every single

moment after that. It is a process, a ‘rosary of moments’. Every single one is important for me.”

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Q & A

Q: Any artistic influences?

A: Marcel Duchamp, Joseph Beuys, Bill Viola, Mira Schendel, my dad, my daughter.”

Q: favorite art piece?

A: The one that I am working with right now…until the next one!

Q: Your biggest accomplishment?

A: Being true to my self, and never ever quitting

DISPLAYS Since 2004, Andres has been involved in 16 solo exhibitions, 15 group exhibitions, 17 art fairs, and

9 selected special projects. Among them, Balelatina (Switzerland), Photo Miami, Art Miami,

Arteamericas, CIRCA (Puerto Rico), FIA-Caracas, LOOP (Barcelona) and British Art (London, UK).

He is currently working on modernism as Utopia, and essentialism instead of Minimalism. The most

recent project consists of a series of photos named “Impositions”.

WHAT’S NEXT? With an incredible twenty-year career, Andres Michelena sure has plenty to show for it, making him

a truly successful “translator of thoughts”. His artworks are currently not for sale due to personal

preference, but in the near future, Henrique Faria Fine Arts in New York will be the only gallery

authorized to handle them. This truly is an artist that has a refreshing way to look at the world and

express it in his art. Although not very widely known, he is definitely worth looking into. So, what’s

next for the conceptual artist? “TODAY!” he says.

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