CH.89: If you were to categorize or describe the style of your artwork, what would it be and why?
AG: My artwork is spontaneous, with a twist. Its a bit childish but controlled. I kind of like to work fast, partly because I am impatient and partly because I think spending too much time doing something makes you over-think things and less authentic.
CH.89: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
AG: My inspiration comes from art and from trying to keep my inner child alive. I also follow many artists and brands on Instagram and magazines. When I see things that I find inspiring, I keep them in my mind, for many years, and suddenly one day I rescue some aspect of it and transform it into another idea.
CH.89: Can you talk a little bit about what your creative thought process is like when starting a new project/ piece of artwork?
AG: Most ideas appear before I go to sleep at night, and I just draw them fast so I can finally sleep. Also, when I am eating alone in a restaurant or travelling on a plane… it’s clear I need to be alone in order to think. When an idea appears, it is most likely because I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, and it suddenly condensates into a visual thing. I don’t try to force things. I don’t intellectualize before doing things, that happens after I have the piece done and I try to understand where it came from. When I have the visual image of what I want to do and maybe a fast sketch, I go directly to work on the clay and produce what’s on my mind. I can work directly with the material because in my mind I can see the piece exactly with all the details.
CH.89: Is there anything in particular that you would want people to take from your artwork?
AG: I would like people to see myself reflected in my artwork, even if my work changes my style remains the same to some extent. It’s like a scent, you can change clothes but you keep the same scent.
CH.89: Can you talk a little bit about your lifestyle as an artist and what that is like?
AG: Well, I’m getting used to the idea of being my own boss. Sometimes I work for twelve hours non stop and other days I just don’t want to step into my studio and I simply don’t. I find a big difference in commitment, when I used to work for others in a design company commitment was more related to responsibility, and now my commitment relies on my desire to make things, it’s more authentic.
CH.89: When starting out an artistic task, do you think it is better to have a particular direction/set plan guiding your way Or, is it better to act on impulse and go from there?
AG: It depends, if you are commissioned it’s better to have some briefing before, so you can get closer to your clients’ idea. I also recommend not always giving exactly what the client thinks he wants, but to push things a little further and surprise him. It makes the whole process more interesting and you show that you’re committed to the cause. Being an industrial designer, I have a way of planning things out which includes the production process as well. If I have a lot of work to do and little time, I write lists and make drawings with measurements which I try to execute like a machine would. I discovered that I can be like a machine if I have to, haha. On the other side, if I have an artistic project that is more loose on schedule I don’t plan much and just spend as much time as I want until I’m fine with the outcome.
CH.89: What is one major lesson you’ve learned as an artist thus far?
AG: Having patience, specially with ceramics. If not, things break or crack and your work goes to the trash. Another thing, is being open to different results. In ceramics there’s a lot of uncertainty, so wanting to control all the details is useless.
CH.89: Do you regard personal style & taste to be of highest importance?
AG: Really important. I find it hard to be friends with people who I consider to have bad taste. It has to do with criteria, and how a person thinks. For me it’s not just image.
CH.89: What do you consider to be the hardest thing about being an artist?
AG: Pricing your artwork is one of the most difficult things of being an artist, and I’m still learning how to do that.
CH.89: What is one thing you love about being an artist?
AG: Being my own boss, being invaded by ideas and having a purpose to go to work. Being able to know myself better with my work, and understand myself. Apart from all the hard work I think it’s a privilege to love what you do for a living.
CH.89: Is there anyone in particular, any artist’s that inspire you in any way?
AG: I always feel specially attracted to the paintings of Max Ernst and Jackson Pollock, one because of the aesthetics and the other because of it’s freshness. In ceramics, I find the work of Peter Voulkos inspiring, not specifically because of it’s beauty but because it seems like the clay is his own skin and he works with it unapologetically, making it really personal.
CH.89: What do you think of technology in terms of being a useful tool for artists today?
AG: I have no problems with using technology, and I’m conscious that it can never replace the human touch. So if it helps, welcome!
CH.89: Do you think being an artist allows you to view the world differently from those who don’t follow creative paths?
AG: I think that people that live driven by passion, no matter what they do, have a different perception of life. Even if they don’t work specifically on art. Having interests and being an observer makes life more intense, not necessarily happier.
CH.89: Do you enjoy traveling? If so, do you have a favorite city?
AG: Ohhhhh I love travelling. It makes me feel happier, more optimistic even sexier haha. For me, traveling is also about eating, so I indulge myself with the best food from any place I go visit. It’s very difficult to choose a city… have you ever been to Cappadoccia in Turkey? Well, that place is magical. And also any place in the Caribbean where you can scuba dive, relax under a palm tree and eat fresh sea food. The Patagonia in Argentina is my sacred place in the world.
CH.89: Do you have a favorite author or book?
AG: Mmmm I must admit I’m a lazy reader, I do read many books at a time, but don’t finish them… I enjoy poetry and various Latin American authors like Mario Vargas Llosa and Argentinean poet Alejandra Pizarnik, with her I feel strangely connected.
CH.89: Any future goals or plans for your artwork?
AG: I want to be exhibited in a good art fair, and be selected by an art gallery.
CH.89: What does being an artist mean to you?
AG: Being able to produce the ideas that have been wondering in my mind throughout my whole life. Bringing myself closer to other people by exposing my abstract self.
CH.89: What’s the last song you listened to?
AG: I always have a random song in my mind, but the last track in my Spotify list is a song from Savages.
CH.89: Any last words on the aesthetic of your artwork?
AG: I have more of a list of concepts: brutality, childish, imperfect, wabi sabi, pop, musical, humorous, scrappy, dense.
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