Rolando Sigüenza 2016 Global Artist of Distinction
Exhibition during ArtWalk: Vita Art Center, 432 N. Ventura Ave.
We are excited and honored to welcome the esteemed artist Rolando Siguenza from Oaxaca, Mexico as our visiting Global Artist. Along with Rolando, there will be over 20 visiting Oaxacan artists exhibiting their artwork, next door to Vita Art Center at the Bell Arts Factory.
Mural: Bell Arts Factory and the City of Ventura are working with Rolando to paint a large-scale mural in the month of September as a gift to Ventura’s Westside. Rolando will be working with local artists MB Hanrahan and Uriel Leon on this mural.
During Rolando’s month long stay, a variety events will be scheduled! More details to on the events to follow!
About Rolando Sigüenza: RolandoSigüenza was born in Oaxaca de Juarez, Mexico on July 17th, 1972. Lost his hearing when only seven months old due to a medicine prescribed by a local doctor, such unfortunate event changed his way and approach to a world surrounded by sound and nowadays urban noise. Inspired by the necessity of communication and relate to others, his parents decided to moved and got him to a school for the hearing impaired in Mexico City, there he learned to use his voice.
Charisma and a spiritual halo embrace his charming personality and its perfectly portrayed and achieved in all his artworks. Rolando's work has been a reference for innocence, joy and respect for life, in many occasions angels become muses fulfilling and accomplishing their messages to a mundane scenario. According to art experts, collectors and professional art critiques he is framed into the folkloric art m vement strongly developed by recognized artists in Oaxaca. Rodolfo Morales has a great influence and for many reasons his main impronta, aire motioned women, men, children and dogs, not so far from Chagall´s surrealism, gather in an Mexican rich cultured rural town. Frontiers, boundaries, humiliation, mockery and ignorance transformed into challenges to win a place to dignify a person`s hearing disability, being deaf has nothing to do to depend on the hands of peoples mercy. Its his positive and cherished attitude that brings generosity to all of his thoughts, words and actions.
Is there a special intention to express through painting? I understand music through my paintings, I may not understand the sound but I truly understand the beauty, joy and sadness it delivers to each individual, some of my paintings have musicians, my family loves music, they played guitars and sing in every family reunion, I feel sound waves and makes me happy to realize why people react to it in their many particular situations. I react to sound vibrations, to light, color, touch, odor, ect.
When I was a child my father took me for the first time to his home town at the Mixe community in Oaxaca, on theirs Saints festivity devoted to Saint Peter and Saint Paul. I was walking holding his hand and at some point the drums vibrations move me to look back and to my surprise the landscape was a forest embracing the music band leading the festivity.
Which art technics do you master? My first art teacher was Luis Beltran in Coyoacan, México City, later attended for 5 five years at the Rufino Tamayo’s workshop in Oaxaca, the following technics: Oil on canvas and hardboard, acrylic on canvas, watercolor, metal and wood engraving, lithography, sculpture and modeling, mezzotint, collography and graphic design.
Which memories do you value the most and how do they become part of your art work?
In many of my paintings I integrate faces framing the scene, this faces are like witnesses of the story on the canvas, as a child when family reunions I would get easily bored, in one of this reunions I found a white paper sheet and a pencil, laying on the floor started to draw, my family got interested on my drawing, and for an instance noticed shoes around me, and the impression of looking up and see all these faces merging in my drawing has a great impact and still in many of my paintings these witnesses are included, also is like taking the person of an art exhibition into my canvas and make him or her interact directly in my work and is no longer a estranger he or she become part of my work. Also as a child my aunts would take to church to attend services but for obvious reasons couldn’t understand a word from the priest, I spent time admiring every wood ornament many of them decorated with carved angels, as they move in different posses I felt like part of them away from the mundane world and graciously included in an endless playground this mystic personas became a constant source of inspiration, my friends communicating with me.
I treasure life and trees our my most valuable representation, if we only have the time to nurtured them just the way we do for ourselves and those we love, when we are in love there are no limits or conditional behavior, same thing for trees, in many of my paintings they take the center stage other elements flow worshipping its magnificent existence.
When painting which feelings go through you as an artist? I have a deep joy my brushes and oils become part of me, painting is an extension of my soul, memories, family, friends, people in their quotidian duties. Painting has become a pilar is my deepest passion. It may sound crazy but when a paint has been sold I feel sadness is like loosing a child. Travelling in different latitudes also has given me lots of insight and transforming this experiences into art is the best way to payback this blessings. Deaf equals being limitless, fearless, and fierce, art itself has be like a deaf person no fear for critiques, mockery or ignorance, canvases turning into mean to express respect and love to this world.