early morning thoughts, before sunlight.

Nicole Matta Santos

November 6, 2010

I said

 RUN

I said RUN RUN RUN

I said dug and cover your eyes

This light is too bright

Even for the darkest looking eyes.

I knew this day would come

Eventually,

Too soon to be late,

To late for soon enough,

I said

CRY

I said CRY CRY CRY

I said drown the world with those tears

The earth is to dry

Even for a cactus to grow

And what to do with all this sorrow?

Is this an end?

Where is the grand finally,

Worthy of a bend?

I said

LAUGH
I said LAUGH LAUGH LAUGH

I said rejoice yourself

For all those things beyond our minds

All the things we can´t understand

And may never will.

Don´t make your mind ill.

I said

STOP

I said STOP STOP STOP

I said take a stand and enjoy

As it may be the last red light on your road

Always looking for the GO

What´s with all the rush?

I said,

When the end comes,

Just smile.

 Las Dos Fridas

Frida Kahlo

Esta pieza es una de mis preferidas de esta artista. Los corazones, el simbolismo, y mas que nada la sensación surreal que al verla  me hace sentir. 

Es chistoso, como funcionan las cosas. He de estar tan lejos de México y mi cultura para reconocer ante mi misma, grandes influencias en mi carácter y estilo artístico que antes ni pestañear hacia.

Al ver los diarios de Frida Kahlo me di cuenta de que tengo varias cosas en común con esta artista, mas que el hecho de una nacionalidad.

Crecí viendo sus creaciones, en mi camino algo en mi perdió el interés en investigar su trabajo en un nivel mas profundo. Tanto albur alrededor de la imagen de esta artista,creado por personalidades externas, una imagen controlada, y enfocada, cuando hay tanto mas que lo que se pone en el centro del escenario.

camus...i love you

yes, life is in 3d

UN MOMENTO

momento
momento
un momento. para respirar
y. dejar de aspirar


momento
momento
un momento. para recordar
y. empezar a dar


momento
momento
un momento. para observar y analizar esa mirada tan ajena y tan propia.
que busca en el otro el amor.
y rechaza en su corazon el yacente dolor.


momento
momento
un momento. para mirar en el reflejo mi mirada
y. veo a una completa extraña,
veo su virtudes
y sus malas actitudes. 


que ha pasado el tiempo y en el los pensamientos
y. en un momento
un momento en el que pasa el viento.
realize. que no hay que dar tanta vuelta por fuera.
puez la nuez.
esta dentro.




por Nicole Matta Santos

Max Ernst @ MUNAL

"Une semaine de bonté, ou les sept éléments capitaux"

This exposition at Museo Nacional de Arte, which just opened to the public last thursday and will be ongoing until october 17, is a delight. Works by the German dadaist and surrealist artist Max Ernst, that have been showed to the public limited amounts of time, are now out to the open. 

While at the exposition, I came with various doubts, I question the reasons of the artist and pondered his intentions. I was fascinated with the apocalyptical sense to it from the floods and creatures. I myself, have a big influence of the apocalypse in my work. From stylistic features of half constructed appearance, which is intentional, to conceptual ideas of human deterioration. Max Ernst in this group of his work, takes the idea of violence and power. 

Some of the elements which called my attention the most where, how women are portrait from the erotic positions to the abuse over them, I found it curious to see that it is not until 'thursday' when women also have bird heads, but never lion heads. What is Ernst stating with this? If anything, I don not have an answer. 

Secondly the eggs! Since I also use this image, to me an egg has a personal meaning as well as researched concept. In the exposition in the last section there was a quote which allowed me to understand myself and my intentions to a new and refreshing level: "The universe of the artist impregnant in an egg - like a fragil world, still secret- "

The personal meaning the egg has in my work, and the reason for which I include both a whole egg and an open egg, is to break out of the egg, to have faith, and go out and do what you want, to put effort. Yet there is a side of me which I'll rather keep to myself, from ideas and perspectives. Writing this post is something a year ago I wouldn't have even thought of, having my thoughts on the internet. But I must say, it is quite amusing.

I have to recognize that the dada movement has had an influence on me, and on my work. While I observed Mr. Ernst clever overlayed images and drawings I couldn´t avoid thinking about different pieces I have created. All thought "Une semaine de bonté, ou les sept éléments capitaux" differs from other works by Max Ernst, it proves the calibre of his artistic skills and elasticity within medias and techniques. It is a quality which I admire, as I myself love to experiment with all type of materials, yet there is a long road of knowledge and practice I am just beginning to enter.

Artists in the Dada movement may have used magazines and newspapers to produce their collages, but it is the XXI st century and medias have evolved.

Here is a link to my tumbler where I just published a video I did last night, sequence of digital collage.d. images, the audio is also a product of my imagination, from the beat to the helium.ed effect voice, to the lyrics. 

http://strangestrangerpeople.tumblr.com/ 

fingers fingers

First, my own. Second by artist Jessica Harrison. I did a series of acrylic on paper experimentations, since then I became somewhat fascinated by the forms I could created by drawing fingers and overlaying them. Forms without adding more but pure fingers. Then yesterday I came upon the pencil on paper by Jessica Harrison, fingers creating forms. My work and hers are vastly different but I found interesting how a similar idea can voyage in distinct directions. This piece I made, I sold it, it is quite abstract, raid, very expressionist in contrast to Harrison's work which is very detailed. I enjoyed looking at her work, I felt I could related myself in some distant way.

Yet this reflection brought to my mind more questions, specially why do I have a tendency to reject perfectionist techniques. At times it seems to me that a perfect portrait is no longer sufficient in contemporary art, as if it where something of the last century. So many people out there can do a still life so real that it seems it is the real thing. For me art is a language with which I can put into tangible visuals the thoughts and ideas that in words, in real life I can't. I respect the craftsmanships but something in me just wants to rebel against the academic techniques that has chained and constrained in past times what art is or what art should be.

locked hopes and promises

Interesting.  It is quite thought provoking, to see how different religious cults work. For instance this altar, if I may call it by such name, I saw in a cathedral in Mexico City, it got me pondering. The altar is for a saint, whose name I can´t seem to remember, but my point is that it is intriguing how religion works, the power it has, how many many people have gone on and put a lock in the altar, in hope for their prayers to be responded. I think it is a good thing to have faith, and to be committed, but the real power is to put all of your efforts and working as hard as you possibly can for reaching goals and solving problems. Rather than putting a lock and then crossing your arms waiting for something to fall from the sky.

A day in Mexico City´s "centro". I love to spend my weekend days around el Zocalo. There is always something new to see, from fresh expositions to new discoveries within the old colonial constructions. A variety of people, from turists caring their cameras around their neck, to natives doing dances, not to mention the break dancers, and the locals. I will miss this, now that I am moving away.

kids don't do drugs...

“I am 100 percent in favor of the intelligent use of drugs, and 1,000 percent against the thoughtless use of them, whether caffeine or LSD. And drugs are not central to my life.” - Timothy leary

---------------------------------------------

beauty can only be subjective

illustration by Annelie Carlstrom

digital doodles, blugh....testing time. 1.30.

@ Museo de Arte Moderno

An exposition focused o Mexican Popular Culture:

Fracturas y Manufracturas de la Identidad

milagritos.

mexican textiles. 

A true art of craftsmanship, combinations of color, patterns and textures.

Inspiration. Aspirations come to my mind.

a photography of Frida and Diego,

they have come to pop icons in mexican art.

i am not the number one fan of Frida's work, but in this exposition one of her pieces, "Las dos Fridas" I must admit I quite admire.

snaps of nun studies

Page from sketchbook.

Title: La Madre Apotropaica
Painting I donated to my (ex) school. media: acrylics on wood, size: about 1.85 high, 1.25 wide.

another snap from my current sketchbook, just a few pages from finishing it, and starting off a new one.

nuns@the airport

superimposed

superimposed and negative effect

View from the sky, a pair of nuns, rainy day.

Different images, different situations, different thoughts come to my mind.

everywhere i look, i find somewhat of an inspiration.

from little to gigantic epiphanies. 

photos all mine

thinking about;

catatonia.

lately.so many rainy days...

where i come from
all the day there is rain

the days are cold and gray.


.where i come from.


cold and gray
graveyard gray
i would say.
roses
grow from ashes
the sun is never out
where i come from.


cold and gray,
where i come from.
no such physical place,
where i come from.

w.hisper.s

whispers

i heard them

talking over and over in my head

only i could hear

i was not crazy

i am not schizophrenic

no

i am not

whispers

they were now talking louder

louder

Louder, LOUder

LOUDER

whispers were now screams

i heard them 

i heard them

only i could hear

I was not crazy

i am not schizophrenic

no

i am not

whispers

old denim jacket is now a vest

old jacket from an when i was an old timer in my old school. abercrombie, yes that is right, i used to get my clothes from there, not any more now it just seems too banal, although from time to time a when in search for a comfy sweater it may be the right place to search. it was there sitting lonely in a corner of my closet, so i decided to experiment with it a little. I wanted something with feathers, but I found no such thing in my home so I painted them instead and added some metal studs.

and this is what it look liked when it was almost finished.

Balanceando.

-+=+-=-+=+-=-+=+-=-+=+-=-+=+-=-+=+-=-+=+-=-+=+-=-+=+-=-+=+-=-

the end. 

 

  carry with.

 beginning . hot. cup.

left it behind.

forgotten.

FEELING PRIMITIVE. are we? primitive? .F.E.E.L.I.N.G. .PRIMITIVE. oh. but we are

we are, but we

are. yes. we are. quite, very. indeed, we are:

PRIMITIVE

Gun. Run. And bring my hope back. Some things here and there, that have caught my eye.

INSTALLATIONS.  INDICATIONS, EXPECTATIONS, AND INNOVATIONS. 

Current installation (mexican version) by K. Font, titled "PLEASE COME BACK" 

Materials: Fluorescent tubes, steel mounted on scaffolding frame, and movement detector.

Postmodernism, where do we lie? So much controversy between what is and what is not art. The thing is simple, or at least I consider so. The idea behind a piece is equally or more important than the aesthetic aspect. A beautiful portrait can be easily created now a days, from highly technological programs to a hard working dedicated craftsmanship. So well, don't get me wrong, I am not saying that aesthetic is not important, I validated its historical value. Yet we are in a time in need for social reflection than a pretty image that makes the viewer feel better. In a time that urges for change, a time that needs awakening.

Title: El desgaste de la Clase Media en México by César Martínez (México, 1962). This installation was one of my favorite pieces when I went to MUAC some months ago.  Beyond being innovative, made out of a hair dryer, a plastic tube, transparent strings, a timer, and a plastic sculpture, it captures an expression of disillusion and discomfort. As soon as my eyes met the art piece I was captivated by it. I saw it as a metaphor of what the title says, the wear off  of the middle class in Mexico. Air building it up, air being false and temporale illusions and hopes, and then falls down, airless. Once again it inflates, it is a cycle, just as I can see it happening in Mexico. People build up hopes, dream for a better future, but from political leaders to the enforcement of the law to the soccer team loosing against Uruguay, this hopes vanish, leaving mexicans in suffering and always in search for the most minimal escape.

GUNS AND NUNS. NUNS AND GUNS. photo from one of my sketchbooks when I was looking at both nuns and the guns.

When I found this image of the nuns holding rifles, and then read the article by which the photograph was accompanied it called my attention. A dominical church ceremony had called upon those who owned guns to take them to church for a responsable weapon day. Although the intention is good, promoting gun safety, it is no coherent for such a violent symbol,as a gun, to be invited into the 'house of god'...

I hate guns. Created to de-create. A coward defense, guns guns guns. So why not take such a horrid object and turn it around. For a painting I created, I decided to take this idea of a nun holding a gun, but rather than having a negative connotation, making my approach positive. A gun as a metaphor for faith, for salvation, and improvement... Although I made my approach positive I can't deny that my reflection of this image reminds me of current events, the catholic institution being in complete chaos, with all the pedrastry cases.

moi in a can....LIFE THIRST

Playing around with PhotoShop,,,,,how weird, i hate that program (just being a little sarcastic). Getting in to the wonderful world of PS and experimenting with the distinct outcomes of an image. Here I got a simple white soda can and placed a photograph of moi-self in it. I am thirsty..... quite thirsty I would say. THIRSTY For LIFE... so much to do, so much to see, so much to learn, to taste, to hear.......... for good or bad, the fortune is that life can't be bought in a can, you have to go out and live it, make the best of it. It is funny how in today's world, the "falatic" idea that is present in advertisements they try to sell a product through selling the idea of happiness of a life style. That does not come in any type of tetra pack nor can be find in any departmental store. It just is.