The exhibition CCS-10. Arte venezolano actual was one of the most important events related to conceptual art, works in mixed media, and works that make use of technology, to have taken place in Caracas. Curated by graphic designer Álvaro Sotillo, the exhibition featured ten artists who had emerged on the art scene in the seventies and eighties and who, by 1993—the year the show took place—had produced solid bodies of work. The artists included were Eugenio Espinoza (b. 1950), Sigfredo Chacón (b. 1950), Héctor Fuenmayor (b. 1949), Roberto Obregón (b. 1946), and artists whose work emerged in later decades such as Alfred Wenemoser (b. 1954), Sammy Cucher (b.1958), Meyer Vaisman (b. 1960), Oscar Machado (b. 1953), José Gabriel Fernández (b. 1957), and José Antonio Hernández Diez (b. 1964).
This interview with José Gabriel Fernández sheds light on the theoretical discourse of an artist whose work effects a demystification of sexual iconography in relation to the themes of “the masculine” and “the feminine.” In her questions, the interviewer points out to Fernández that his “language is by no means easy to understand.” Regardless, the artist’s clear and concise explanations of the conceptual basis of his work suggest the bold nature of his proposal. He discusses the socio-cultural and psychological aspects of the sexual symbologies of the contemporary world, as well as the possibilities of new readings that undermine conventions. Fernández’s discourse is neither prejudiced nor intentionally provocative. His work, however, outraged many visitors to the show who considered it pornographic. From the perspective of the visual arts, this brief interview deals with a concern central to contemporary thought, mainly sexuality and sexual taboos. While that topic has been studied from a Freudian psychoanalytic perspective, art criticism, at least in Venezuela, has failed to delve into it.
For other interviews by Blyde with the artists featured in the show CCS-10. Arte venezolano actual, see “Jugando a atrapar el espacio [interview with Sigfredo Chacón]” (doc. no. 864412); “De las cenizas petrificadas por el tiempo [interview with Oscar Machado]” (doc. no. 864755); “Irreflexiones, reflexiones y flexiones [interview with Héctor Fuenmayor]” (doc. no. 864715); “Sammy Cucher: entrevista: haciendo notas del inconsciente [interview with Sammy Cucher]” (doc. no. 864676); “Para hacerle ofrendas a la muerte [interview with Roberto Obegón]” (doc. no. 1097592); “Ficción sobre ficción: [interview with Meyer Vaisman]” (doc. no. 1051228); “Entre el orden histórico y el caos emocional. [interview with Eugenio Espinoza]” (doc. no. 864696); and “En la búsqueda, pero sin querer buscar. [interview with José Antonio Hernández Diez]” (doc. no. 864736).
