CH.89: If you were to categorize or describe the style of your artwork, what would it be and why?
PG: I do ceramic sculptures. My work explores the idea of adaptability and how we exist under continual change. I am interested in expressing a transitory nature by using shapes that are in a fragile balance, shapes that convey openness or movement.
PG: My work is in a quest to defy the force of gravity. I like shapes that are challenging to build in clay. I observe how they change throughout the process since the material is very dynamic: the material dries, shrinks and solidifies under high temperatures so I am constantly imagining how they will overcome these stages against gravity without breaking.
PG: I am interested in creating pieces with an essence that can be redefined by others, that convey contrast and openness to understand how it would be possible to modify cultural references and show we transcend stereotypes to become only human.
CH.89: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
PG: I am constantly thinking about how culture, ideas and thoughts manifest in the material world. I find that connection between inmaterial and material realities everywhere, in everyday life, observing
people, in the news, in architecture or films.
PG: I have moved constantly to different countries and through those experiences I encountered contrasting cultures. I became aware of the differences and stereotypes yet I find the commonalities a source of inspiration. The common things that we are as humans.
CH.89: Can you talk a little bit about what your creative thought process is like when starting a new
project/ piece of artwork?
PG: I pay attention to reoccurring ideas that get stuck in my mind. I let them rest for a while and
eventually they come back in a certain shape or volume. Sometimes I draw several sketches and other
times I go straight to work with clay. I pay attention to those thoughts that take me to something I haven’t done before with clay. I am interested when the idea is not entirely clear in my mind because it becomes more enjoyable. It is as if I need to build it in order to understand it.
CH.89: Is there anything in particular that you would want people to take from your artwork?
PG: I want people to experience an encounter and to be intrigued. If you are in front of my work I want you to feel like you are having a conversation. You are grasping the idea of the other and at the same time you build an opinion of your own. People can agree or disagree but I want people to leave with a sense of ownership of themselves and a feeling they saw something in a different way.
CH.89: Can you talk a little bit about your lifestyle as an artist and what that is like?
PG: I do ceramics every day most of the day. Several projects at the same time. I tend to combine more
elaborated sculptures where I do new ideas with utilitarian ceramics, that allows me to experiment more
with colors and textures.I monitor the stages of the pieces: how they dry, waiting for them to come out of the kiln in the way I expect them to be. I use plenty of time to glaze pieces by hand and to clean the studio.
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?
PG: I tend to gravitate between those two. I do pieces with a plan and a direction and at the same I build a piece in the moment. Working in both ways allows you to learn and to explore something new. It also helps me to cope with frustration in case I find something difficult.
CH.89: What is one major lesson you’ve learned as an artist thus far?
PG: Believe in yourself and being disciplined in your practice. I have also learned how to enjoy not being in control, that has allowed me to discover new ideas or directions in my work.
CH.89: Do you regard personal style & taste to be of highest importance?
PG: No, I don’t invest time in thinking about them. I assume they are embedded within a persons identity and somehow become self evident. For me, style and taste can change over time and derive organically from what you are saying in your work. I consider what you are saying through your work more important.
CH.89: What do you consider to be the hardest thing about being an artist?
PG: Time management. Also to balance your creative work with other aspects such as documenting or managing your finances.
CH.89: What is one thing you love about being an artist?
PG: The purpose it gives to life. It brings a possibility of taking any question or thought in your mind and using it to create something new.
CH.89: Is there anyone in particular, any artist’s that inspire you in any way?
PG: Howardena Pindel, Cornelia Parker, Luis Barragan, El Anatsui, Donald Judd.
CH.89: What do you think of technology in terms of being a useful tool for artists today?
PG: Technology is welcomed and can be extremely useful to open possibilities and methods of execution.
CH.89: Do you think being an artist allows you to view the world differently from those who don’t
follow creative paths?
PG: I do. It makes you be in a constant search mood. I don’t know if it is necessarily better
CH.89: Do you enjoy traveling? If so, do you have a favorite city?
PG: I do, traveling is such a gift. I love Berlin. The favorite city is the one I haven’t traveled to yet.
CH.89: Do you have a favorite author or book?
PG: Borges, Zadie Smith, Denis Johnson, Zygmunt Baumman.
PG: There are paragraphs in different books that stay with me over time. There are paragraphs that say things in a new way, or use the perfect words to express something that I didn’t know how to articulate by myself.
CH.89: Any future goals or plans for your artwork?
PG: Make a living out of it.
CH.89: What does being an artist mean to you?
PG: Freedom
CH.89: What’s the last song you listened to?
PG: Kid A by Radiohead
CH.89: Any last words on the aesthetic of your artwork?
PG: I am drawn to textures in general, tactility is fantastic for ceramics. Emptiness, contained space, spaces that are holding something are important. For me they open the possibility to approach, and to spend more time observing, to change your perspective.
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