Mónica Van Asperen
(artist and teacher)
What is, in your
opinion, a professional artist?
To think of a professional
artist is like drawing up a line that goes form junior artist,
senior, professional, master to...and see whether you belong to
any of the segments.
I think there is a will-power ethics criteria and love to knowledge
that makes one reach a certain level at work.
Professionalism is a grading given by the places of legitimisation.
Professional artist sounds like full time devotion.
Artistic professional sounds like part-time dedication.
What's the relation between art and money in your work?
Since I started showing my
work, I have gotten some scholarship funding or sometimes some
artworks were bought, that has allowed me to devote more time
to my work and not to teach for so many hours.
At the beginning, my works were ephemeral. For 5 years, I worked
with latex and daily objects. My relation with money made my work
get independent from me and my process and the inner movement
of the work acquired greater autonomy because I could materialise
my ideas.
How do you resolve the conditions of visibility of your work in
the context you work in?
Well, on the one hand, I work with intermediaries, i.e. with
people that show and sell what I make.
On the other, when I do some research, I look for suitable and
careful environments, internships, scholarships, other artists;
I seek being protected and supported by something that lets me
show processes, researches and specific projects.
How would you define cultural tourism?
When I do cultural tourism, I try to see it all and not just
what they want to show me.
Cultural tourism would be to know the customs of the place, their
timing, their art and their celebrations.
But sometimes , cultural tourism is understood as visiting the
big cultural combos.
How would you define culture shock?
A blow to human consciousness
Che Guevara
Christ
The Beatles
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
The events of September 11th
Bush’s impunity
What's the relationship between control and chance in your work?
In the universe of ideas of my work there is an idea called
God. I take chance as part of the game and as the meeting point
between doubt and certainty. I think no artist can control everything
for control is part of horror, and horror stiffens any vital and
creative work movement.
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