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 Ibañez, 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.

It started with the idea to simulate the hair or fur of animals with nails. My nail sculptures may be classified in 3 categories that reflect an evolution process:

“El Bosque” this category includes some animals such as; dogs, rabbits, rams, boars, owls, and a mammoth among many other species.

As part of my creative evolution, I began to incorporate geometric colourful shapes to each animal sculpture, pushing the boundaries of each sculpture to a more abstract space, naming this second category “Serie de las Aves”. “Serie de los Alebrijes”, includes a mix of animals with figurative qualities and imaginary figures. In this series, the figures have predominant heads, with the exclusion of the mouth and eyes. However, in each of these pieces, the ears play a large role, as they give the meaning and identity of each piece.

What message are you trying to convey through your work?

What I want to convey with my work is the love of nature, imitating animals and their perfect anatomy and colours. As well as interaction with human beings and the relation between human and animal just like the relationship between humans and art.

Do you work with any other mediums?

Yes, I use other techniques. In my sculptures, I like to use materials such as steel, wood and paint with oil and acrylic.

Are the nails a metaphor for something else?

The nails in history have a very important role, their invention helped the world evolve and even if it’s such a simple tool helped to improve the screw and other tools. In relation with my work at the moment to turn the nail and place it next to another, simulating hair is a change of context from what the nails were created for, nonetheless, I consider that my work, taking an important tool from history, also brings development, evolution and transition to my work.

Could you tell us a bit about the art scene in San Antonio?

The Art scene in San Antonio is very strong, I consider that its geographic territory and vicinity with Mexico brings a special identity, finding different subjects such as immigration, and the role of Hispanics in the U.S. among other subjects. I consider that in San Antonio you can find a strong support for emerging artists.

What is Ernesto listening to at the moment?

I listen to a lot of bands but some of my favourites are; Silversun Pickups, Neon Indian, Rockwell and Crystal Castels to name just a few. END