Let's talk about art

In this second part of the interview we talk with Alberto Miranda, better known as Guajiro Bampo , about the concept of art . In the previous interview he told us that he does not like to define himself in any particular way and he believes that the term "artist" has been "extremely distorted."

Alberto, does art have to have an intention? What do you think about purely decorative art?

I have always been very categorical and for years I have been trying to correct this. I would not like to say that art should be one thing or another, that is precisely one of the benefits of art, freedom. It is what has always attracted me to the idea of creating, of doing what you want, how you want. Without dogmas or codes.

For me, art without intention doesn't make much sense. Any work of art has to awaken something and if it's only decorative, it's only going to attract you from an aesthetic point of view. You also have to be aware of the world we live in and where aesthetics and design dominate everything. There are already certain codes that we have very much assumed, so that what is merely decorative is already something we see every day. I also think that in a world where what matters is immediacy and consumption, it's easier to make decorative art than art with meaning. Because the latter requires time and it seems that today everyone is in a hurry.

What is NOT art?

I think that everything is capable of being art with the right vision. I like to say that our responsibility as creators is to see art where others don't. Just like business vision gives you the gift of seeing a business where others don't. Art is a painting of a sunset, something objectively beautiful, and Warhol's Campbell's can. The difference is that in this case he turns an everyday object into art, something that most of us overlook, but he takes it and puts it there for us to stop and appreciate and says, "This is art too."

Is art subjective or objective?

I think that everything in life is subjective. Not only because each person is different, but also because the moment is different. No one bathes twice in the same river, as Heraclitus said, and we all listen to the same song in a different way. I think the question is whether good art is objective or subjective.

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Do you think art should be public/open or should people pay for it?

It's a difficult question because we have to find a balance between allowing a creator to make a living from his or her work and the market not using art as if it were just another consumer good. I believe that great artists should belong to the State and therefore to the people. Let's imagine for a moment that a private collector had Picasso's Guernica. It would be unthinkable right now, but the reality is that there are many important paintings in the hands of private collectors. But if we move on a more earthly level, with people like me and my colleagues, the reality is that the precariousness of the creative world makes it very difficult for one to be altruistic because the vast majority are only looking to have a decent life thanks to their work.

I believe that we should all share our knowledge and our work with others because the current form of creation (thanks to the Internet) is collaboration. We should not be opaque, but rather the opposite. We should help each other and make art more popular and social. Creation is something human and that is why it should be shared by everyone. At least this is what I believe and what I want to do with my work.

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What is your opinion on NFTs and how do you think they will affect the art sector?

I have mixed feelings about the topic of Cryptoart, as I believe it is a tool with enormous potential but that was born in the wrong way. With a purely economic purpose, in which it seems that what people are looking for is to get rich overnight. The entire crypto world has that slightly strange halo. A halo in which the feeling that we are living a technological and social revolution with a lot of potential and at the same time a kind of pyramid scam in which the only thing that matters is profiting comes together. Without going into the environmental impact of the issue of mining necessary for the NFT in which we see direct and tangible damage to the environment.

Today I am totally against this whole movement, as it goes against everything I think about art. And that is why I have decided to speak out in the best way I can, with actions. I have been working for a few months on a project called ART BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE , and it basically boils down to me giving away all the illustrations I made in 2020 so that anyone can use them as they please. My idea is to update the files with new illustrations every so often, and if other creators want to, they will also join in.

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PRINCIPLES OF THE "ART BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE" PROJECT:

- PRINCIPLE N1
The ability to create is one of the most human properties we have.

- PRINCIPLE N2
Culture is not a consumer product.

- PRINCIPLE N3
Collaboration is the basis of current creation.