Interview with Chile-Based Artist Xaviera Lopez
The Surrealist Dreamer
Once upon a time on my Tumblr
blog feed, I stumbled upon an animation, where it illustrated a couple kissed
passionately. As they shared the romantic moment, their faces blossomed into a surrealistic
creature, making connections with each other… I clicked “liked” on the post, as
I normally would if I think I would come back one day and explore further. The
following day, the same blog post came up again on my Tumblr, reposted by
another blogger. Subsequently another surrealistic animation of similar
aesthetic popped up on my feed. This time it was a girl stripped of herself to
reveal yet another layer of her nested inside like a Matryoshka doll. This
looped animation was coined ‘Skin’. Given the illustration style, I was pretty
sure it was from the same artist. The vivid imageries by this mysterious artist
meant something to me. It was a sign that I should explore who was behind this
fascinating creation. My research led me to discover Xaviera Lopez, a Chile-based illustrator who quickly became one of
my favorites after reaching out to her, and expressing my admiration of her
work.
Tell us a little bit about yourself, and when did you found your passion in
making illustrations into animation art?
“I was born and raised in
Santiago de Chile, and for now I’m living here. Chile is a long and small
country, literally at the end of the world, with every possible weather and
landscape you can imagine. It’s difficult to be an artist here because almost
everybody seems to be more focused on the “practical”,
but if you’re resourceful and stubborn enough, you can make it. I’ve been
drawing since I can remember, I was the art teacher’s pet (and a burden for
everybody else) and I took drawing and painting classes outside of high school
because I needed more. Drawing is thinking visually, like when you explain
something complex and you need to doodle to make it understandable. It is a
language on its own where with just three elements (dots, lines and planes) you
can have a billion different results and messages. Then I went to Art College,
a very small and experimental one where I got to try a little bit of everything
but became fascinated by video and animation, so I took a 2D animation class to
understand the basics. I had a few exhibitions in local galleries and museums,
then I worked as an art director for some years and forgot about personal work
despite having a little voice always saying: “hey, go back!” but I didn’t have
(make) the time or motivation. I found the Vine app in 2013 and I was reminded
of everything I used to love. You could only create in-app, so the
possibilities were limited and you had to use all your imagination to make
something good. I also found really talented and supportive people. I remember
thinking: “WOW! How did he/she do that?” and I would just ask, and they would
reply! So I started using all my spare time making vines, tried different
materials and techniques and reconnected with my personal work. Then I expanded
to other formats like film or gif. The word animation comes from soul: it’s
about giving a soul to otherwise still images. It’s wonderful and magical.
Many of your work give off a surreal vibe, where does your inspiration
come from?
“Many things can’t be communicated
only with words, and that’s when images are important. Nowadays we are used to
this constant overflow of images and we don’t pay enough attention to them, but
they work on a subconscious level.
My inspiration comes from my life experiences. I see my work as an
attempt to document my process of figuring things out. I try to be as awake and
aware as possible and absorb like a sponge all the ideas, images, sounds and
feelings I can, so that I can make a connection between whatever is going on
with me and things from the outside world. I am very picky; Images are food for the brain. You want
your body to have all the best, healthiest possible nutrients; you want the
same for your mind, as they’re not really separated."
Often artists create ‘art’ through emotions gathered from life
experiences, do you think yourwork is influenced by that and is it a good
representation of who you are?
“That’s where my inspiration
comes from and my work is a very good representation of my internal process, that’s
why some of my animations and illustrations are sad, or creepy, or
lighthearted, or have mixed emotions. It’s all meaningful stuff for me, and I
put it out there hoping to connect with other people in different ways, because
I really believe the viewer completes the artwork, and interesting things
happen when you expose yourself in a respectful way. Sometimes someone will say
something about what I did and I’ll be like: YES! Never thought of that! Or
they will give me a reference that I didn’t know about. I love feedback because
it gives me perspective. I remember this time when I had a photography
exhibition at a gallery, and I would go there just to listen to whatever people
commented about my work (nobody knew I was the author). On the Internet people
feel freer to speak their minds and I have the privilege to read all those
thoughts, I love it! There are many other dimensions of me that nobody gets to
see: I am funny, talkative sometimes, I love to dance, I am afraid of many
things, I have troubles sleeping, I go to yoga everyday, etc.”
Can you give us a brief process how you create these animation?
“It’s all a mix between analog
and digital drawing, rotoscopy and 2d animation, and after effects at a basic
level. I’ve developed this method based on my needs, maybe there is something
simpler or easier out there and I haven’t discovered it yet, but I’m
comfortable with my strange technique. I have this notebook where I draw my
ideas and associated concepts to have a clear idea of how I want it to look
like and what the action has to be. Then I figure out what I need to make them.
I shoot, draw, print, scan, import, draw, export, edit, export, draw… I work at
15 frames per second, each frame is a drawing. I take my time, listen to
podcasts while I draw, and try to make something I am proud of aesthetically
wise. I take dance breaks because all the sedentarism drives me crazy.”
You artwork are widely shared on the interweb and social media, when
did you know you are getting the attention? Has anyone asked you to do commission?
“I have done a lot of commission
work both in illustration and animation. I’ve had the opportunity to work with
big brands and have creative freedom, which is something I love! I don’t feel
that I’m getting that much attention except when I’m on my phone, maybe because
of where I live. In my daily life it’s not even a thing. When I started on Vine
I almost didn’t know about social media (I knew a couple of Instagram and
YouTube popular accounts but I never imagined myself doing that). I remember
being super excited with interactions there not because of popularity, but
because this x super talented person was saying that my animation (that took a
lot of work and was meaningful for me) was good for some reason. Then I started
having these sudden spells of activity and realized maybe this was a good way
to show my work to the world. And I started celebrating every new interaction
and growth. I still do, I’m still surprised by the power of the Internet and
what has happened to me, as obvious at this may seem for a lot of people. I didn’t
expect this to go so far.”
Do you personally have a favorite artist? Or anyone that inspires you
to do your work?
“I love History of Art because I
feel that I have all this friends across time and space that I look up to for
different reasons. Aubrey Beardsley has been one of my favorite artists
recently, but there are so many more it’s a never-ending list. I also look at non-museum-art places:
music, film, yoga, nature, fashion, podcasts, social media, pop culture, etc. I
believe in coincidences and the things that I’m looking for always seem to find
me at the right moments. I just try to be open.
Can you tell us what are you currently working on? Any upcoming
projects you are involved in?
“I’m always doing personal
illustration and animation work, it’s what keeps me motivated. I’m also working on a couple of branded
projects and making animations for a very interesting documentary about women
directors. I want to make a short film, paint a big mural and translate some of
my imagery into jewelry and fabrics. I’m very grateful for all the
opportunities I’ve had and the people I’ve met so far, and I’d love to find a
way to give others what has been given to me.”
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