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Hctor

HerreraEl color dE las sEnsacionEsThe World on a Canvas

Con los cambios constantes en la tecnologa,

resulta dicil integrar y asimilar las mltiples

y variada s escena s del arte. Mu chos se c onor-

man con apreciar aquello que les es amiliar,

mientras que quienes nos queremos aproxi-

mar al arte contemporneo estamos llenos

de dudas.

Technology changes so fast these days its hardto process the many and varied forms art has

taken. Many people are content to stick with

whats familiar, while those of us who are inter-

ested in learning more about contemporary art

often find ourselves overwhelmed.

La Vaca Independiente Redaccin: Jeannette Porras

HazelF

Este viajero con ormacin de artistatransorma sus experiencias ensensaciones plsticas. An artist withitchy feet captures his travel experiences

for the gratification of the senses.

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Me preguntaba en qu medida estos cambios aectan

el proceso creativo. En qu orma transitan los creado-res por esos caminos? Cmo infuye la velocidad de

una tcnica, como es el arte digital, en la manera de re-

solver el acto creativo? Encontr algunas de las respues-

tas al entrevistar al artista mexicano Hctor Herrera.

En parte, la ormacin artstica de Hctor ue en la

Academ ia de San Carlos , y el artis ta no ha olvi dado

dnde aprendi las bases de las tcnicas tradicionales

y sus m ltipl es pos ibili dades. Sin emb argo, una cons-

tante bsqueda para nutrir su inquietante espritu lo

ha llevado a ser un viajero del mundo, de lo ilimitado

de las sensaciones, de la contemplacin, para poder ir

armando las piezas de su propio caleidoscopio.

En este recorrido, a veces acompaado y otras so-

litario, crea espacios de interaccin con los otros, quea la vez son sus iguales. As va tejiendo una red con

hebras de cultura, emociones y nuevas realidades.

Adems , sus mlti ples reside ncias le han revela do

la uerza del arte y la necesidad de renovarse cons-

tantemente. Sus temas han variado de acuerdo con el

paisaje visible e invisible que va habitando.

Uno de sus proyectos ms impactantes es, sin duda,

De punt a a punt a. En Chiapas tom un autobs que lo

llevara por numerosos lugares del sur del continente,

Ive always wondered to what extent this affects

the creative process. How do artists take these chang-es on board, especially in the case of, say, digital art,

where techniques change virtually overnight? Lucki-

ly, Mexican artist Hctor Herrera was able to give me

some answers.

As a for mer st ude nt at the San Car los Aca demy,

Hctor hasnt forgotten where he learned the basics

of traditional techniques and their multiple applica-

tions. Yet his restive spirit has pushed him to explore

the world, remove barriers to the senses and con-

template the pieces of his own puzzle in an effort to

visualize the big picture.

On these journeys, sometimes alone, sometimes

with others, he makes room for interaction with his

peers, weaving a tapestry of unfamiliar cultures, emo-tions and realities in the process. As an artist-in-res-

idence, he has come to acknowledge the power of

art, while the urge to constantly reinvent himself is

reflected in his subject matters, which vary accord-

ing to the visibleand invisiblegeographies he finds

himself negotiating.

Like De pun ta a pun ta , a series in which Hctor

recounts his bus trip from Chiapas all the way down

to Chile, passing through many spots in Guatemala,

Detalle Koi

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pasando por Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nica-

ragua, Costa Rica, Panam, Ecuador y Per hasta Chile.

Los espectadores quedan expuestos a la poesa que

recogi en el trayecto. Ms que ojos, se necesita tener

los sentidos alertas para contemplar esas obras.

La vida es mi mayor pasin, airma Hctor, y es en

esta pasin donde comparte y expande su mundo ha-

cia otros: talleres, clases, intercambios, galera, entre

otros, son los proyectos que lanza y lleva ebrilmente

con mucho xito.

Hctor relata que, sin dejar colgada la brocha ni el

lpiz, le da mucho valor a su experiencia con el mun-do ciberntico. De hecho, coniesa haber tenido la

inquietud de estudiar ingeniera en sistemas. As que

decidi conectar su lpiz a la computadora y lanzarse

a crear, experimentar y disrutar de la amplia gama

de posibilidades que le brinda esta herramienta en

dierentes procedimientos. Con ello recibi una beca

para ir a la Bienal de Arte, Diseo y Creacin Digital e

Inmaterial en Reunin (rica). Ah se concentr en la

pintura digital como propuesta de trabajo.

Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama,

Ecuador, Peru and Chile. The works resulting from this

poetic exploration of South Americaliterally from tip

to tip, as the title of the ambitious project saysput all

the senses into overdrive, not just the eyes.

Life is my greatest passion, says Hctor, a passion

that he shares by giving workshops and classes and

participating in exchanges and gallery showings in

his feverish endeavors to introduce as many people as

possible to his world.

While Hctor hasnt put his brush out to dry or

abandoned his pencil by the wayside, he greatly val-ues his cyber world experiences. In fact, he admits to

having considered systems engineering as a career.

Consequently, he decided to marry the two disci-

plines and experiment with the endless possibilities

of digital painting. The decision to swap pencil for sty-

lus won him a grant to participate in the Art, Design,

Digital and Immaterial Creation Biennial on Reunion

Island (off the coast of Africa, east of Madagascar, in

the Indian Ocean).

Pulpo

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Por otra parte, al acrlico que ya trabajaba desde hace tiempo

le suma materiales como nogalina, resinas, y pigmentos. Es como

un rompecabezas que puedes armar de maneras distintas en un

proceso dinmico que llama acrlico modiicado.

En una de sus continuas paradas, decidi establecerse en Ense-

nada, Baja Caliornia. El paisaje, la tierra, el vino, el mar, pero sobre

todo la gente lo cautivaron. Ah decidi establecer un Centro deResidencias e Investigacin Artstica, el CRIA, que coordina desde

hace ms de dos aos, invitando a artistas a trabajar en Ensenada

por periodos de dos a cuatro meses.

Penetrar en el espacio de Hctor es entrar a un mundo de colo-

res, manchas, texturas, ilusiones que se escurren como cada mo-

mento presente para dar paso a nuevas sensaciones.

In addition to acrylic paintswhich he has been experimenting

with for a while now, Hctor uses materials such as walnut stain,

resins and pigments. Its like a puzzle you can piece together in

different ways, a dynamic process he refers to as modified acrylic.

On one of his many journeys, Hctor made a stop in Ensenada,

Baja California. The breathtaking scenery of land and sea, the wine,

but es peci ally t he peo ple pro mpted him to extend his s tay an d setup an Artistic Residency and Research Center (CRIA), where artists

are invited to stay and work for periods of two to four months, a

project hes been coordinating for just over two years now.

Entering Hctors world is like putting your eye to an illusory

kaleidoscope of color and texture that changes with each pass-

ing moment, giving way to one new sensation after another.

Translation by Alison Stewart

Naci en la ciudad de Mxico (1975). Estudi artes visuales en la

Escuela Nacional de Artes Plsticas (UNAM). Continu sus estudios

en la Antiua Academia de San Carlos y en el Prorama de Alta

Exiencia Acadmica (PAEA), as como en el Centro de Extensin

(CET) de la UNAM, campus Taxco, y la Universidad Politcnica de

Valencia. Ha obtenido la beca de Jvenes hacia la Investiacin

de la UNAM (19951998). Obtuvo el Premio Nacional de Arte

Joven, otorado por el INBA, en 2002. Ha hecho residencias

artsticas en Baha, Brasil (2010), Reunion Island en la Bienal ADCNI

(2009), Santiao de Chile (2001, 2007) y Paradores Nacionales,

Madrid (1998). Ha expuesto su obra de manera individual en

Mxico, as como en Estados Unidos, Chile, Espaa y Brasil.

hecherrod.com

After ettin a deree in visual arts at the National Academy of

Plastic Arts (UNAM), Hctor Herrera (Mexico City, 1975) went on

to study at the San Carlos Academy of Art, the Hih Exiency

Academic Proram (PAEA), the UNAM Extension Center (CET)

Taxco campus, and Valencia Polytechnic University (UPV). He was

awarded the 19951998 Youn People in Research fellowship by

the UNAM and the 2002 National Youn Artists Award by INBA.

In addition to artist-in-residence prorams in Baha, Brazil (2010),

the ADCNI Biennial in Reunion Island (2009), Santiao de Chile

(2001, 2007) and Paradores Nacionales, Madrid (1998), he has

had solo exhibitions in Mexico, the U.S., Chile, Spain and Brazil.

hecherrod.com

HctorHerrera

Cardumen

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