Interview
ERNESTO IBANEZ www.ernestoli.com
Nature has always served as a source of inspiration for as long as we can remember, some of the earliest cave paintings depict animals, the lives of early humans and their relationship with the environment. Drawing on this bounty of inspiration is artist Ernesto Ibaùez, his creations include dogs, rabbits, panthers, owls and a mammoth with thousands of metal nails simulating fur. We had a chat with Ernesto where he talked about growing up in Guadalajara, Mexico and the significance of nails in his work and our history. Could you tell us a bit about your time growing up in Guadalajara, Mexico? I grew up in a middle-class family, I am the 2nd child of 3. I was a boy scout for several years, I spent a long time doing outdoor activities such as camping and learning survival skills. I loved to roller skate and make creative bracelets, craft small sculptures from avocado pits and wood. Guadalajara is a city with a lot of cultural and artistic activities, great weather all year long that helps to have a full variety of activities. Have you always had a keen interest in art? I’ve always loved art in general but especially sculptures. My grandmother was a painter as a hobby with a lot of talent, that was my first experience with art. In her house, you could always smell oil paint and
on every wall, I saw paintings decorating spaces. Since I was very young I liked to handcraft with avocado pits and wood. At school, I always chose extracurricular classes about art, one of my favourite teachers suggested to me to consider taking art seriously and it was because of this that I thought and decided to choose art as my professional career. Later on, I was elected to start in the faculty of art in the School of Plastic Arts in the University of Guadalajara. In 4 years I graduated and obtained my degree and moved to the City of San Antonio Texas where I currently live. When did you first start working with nails, was it an evolutionary process? My idea about using nails started when I needed to propose something new, I was tired of the traditional school. 24
