In this second part of the interview we chat with Alberto Miranda, better known as Guajiro Bampo , about the concept of art . In the previous interview, he already told us that he doesn't like to define himself in any special way and considers that the term "artist" has been "misrepresented to the extreme".

Link to the first part of the interview

let's talk about art

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

I have always been very categorical and for years it has been something that I have tried to correct. I would not like to say that art should be one or the other, that is precisely one of the graces of art, freedom. It's what always attracted me to the idea of ​​creating, of doing what you want as you want. Without dogmas or codes.

For me, art without intentionality doesn't make much sense. Any artistic work has to awaken something and if it is only decorative, it will only attract you from an aesthetic point of view. We must also be aware of the world in which we live and where aesthetics and design dominate everything. There are already some codes that we have very much assumed, so what is merely decorative is already something we see on a daily basis. I also believe that in a world where what matters is immediacy and consumption, it is easier to make decorative art than art with meaning. Because the latter takes time and it seems that nowadays everyone is in a hurry.

What is NOT art?

I believe 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 see it. Art is a painting of a sunset, something objectively beautiful, and Warhol's Campbell can. The difference is that in this case he turns an everyday object into art, something that most of us ignore but he takes it and puts it there for us to stop to appreciate it and tells us “this is also art”.

Is art subjective or is it objective?

I believe that everything in this life is subjective. Not only because each person is different, but because the moment is too. Nobody 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 would be whether good art is objective or subjective.

NOW AVAILABLE. Capsule collection Minimalism X Guajiro Bampo

Do you consider that art should be public/open or should it be paid for?

Complicated question because there is a balance to be found between a creator being able to live off his or her work and the market not using art as if it were just another consumer good. I believe that the 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, of 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 seek nothing more than to have a decent life thanks to his 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. You don't have to be opaque, if not quite the opposite. Help each other and make art more popular and social. Creation is something human and therefore must be shared by all. At least this is what I believe and it is what I want to do with my work.

NOW AVAILABLE. Capsule collection Minimalism X Guajiro Bampo

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

I have mixed feelings about the topic of Cryptoart since I think it is a tool with enormous potential but it 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 whole crypto world has that slightly strange halo. A halo that combines the feeling that we are experiencing a technological and social revolution with great potential and at the same time a kind of pyramid scheme in which the only thing that matters is profit. Without going into the environmental impact of the issue of mining necessary for the NFT in which we see a direct and tangible damage to the environment.

To this day I am totally against this whole movement since it goes head-to-head with everything I think about the subject of art. And that is why I have decided to pronounce myself in the best way I can do, with acts. I've been working on a project for a few months called ART BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE and it basically boils down to the fact that I'm going to give away all the illustrations I made in 2020 so that anyone is free to use them as they please. My idea is to update the files with new illustrations every so often and if other creators want, they will also join.

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.

Capsule collection Minimalism X Guajiro Bampo

Link to ART BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE

Alberto Miranda's website

Alberto Miranda's Instagram