Plataforma de Arte Contemporáneo
Pablo Rodes (Alicante, 1980). BFA from the Polytechnic University of Valencia (2003). MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2010). PhD in Design Sciences from the Iuav University of Venice (2017). Educator. Curious and insightful. Art as existential reflection. Intimate and unpublished work. Perpetual quest. Endless transformation.
PAC – You project yourself from Alicante. Would you have liked to move elsewhere and build your career from there?
Pablo Rodes – I am myself and my circumstances, my father used to say. This statement, a central thought in the philosophy of Ortega y Gasset, highlights the intrinsic linkage between the self and its surrounding context. It is not a justification for adversity but a profound reminder that everything around us involves our identity. The etymology of circumstance depicts circum (around) and stare (to stand), encapsulating this junction.
I confess the Mediterranean light and colors enlighten my mind. So, Costa Blanca furnishes a way to reconnect with me and pull inspiration within this environment. It is also worth recalling the whole quote: I am myself and my circumstances, and if I do not save it, I do not save myself. This location offers a remarkable vantage point for finding beauty. Despite my multifaceted sense of displacement, Alicante attaches me in grounding and evocative ways.
PAC – Do you assume your destiny would have followed the same direction?
Pablo Rodes – Life proposes a stage on which countless factors simultaneously constrain and inspire us. While our affairs shape us, I reject the idea of determinism. As William Ernest Henley penned, I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul. My choices, framed by a balance of external forces and internal resolve, have defined my path.
PAC – What drives you to pursue artistic practice?
Pablo Rodes – The act of creating is a defiance of silence. Art becomes a medium for analyzing consciousness and shouldering the responsibility that awareness entails. This impulse manifests in audiovisual narratives where I grapple with the fleeting nature of time—a theme I regard with near-obsessive intensity.
As José Hierro, a renowned Spanish writer, reported in Tierra sin nosotros:
Tambourine of centuries to lull the man
imprisoned in the silent heart of the universe.
Half a golden apple to feed the child,
so he may feel eternal.
This consideration of time and transience informs much of my investigation.
PAC – What did you yearn for?
Pablo Rodes – Every visionary process takes on a mystical quality, above all when unburdened by functional constraints. In solitude, the artist gives form to something seemingly purposeless, born from an abstract notion, and delivers it freely to society. The paradox is that many of the brightest minds have assumed this role, recognizing the weight of their position even in its most precarious beginnings.
PAC – Did you find it?
Pablo Rodes – Fortunately, no. Art thrives in a dynamic of enduring change, constantly reexamining and reshaping its precepts. To encounter a definitive answer would be to halt this modification.
PAC – What improvements do you consider the Art System could undergo?
Pablo Rodes – Opportunities within the art world are often limited. Unpredictable clouts may overshadow the symbolic act of selfless outcome when the market deviates its focus from an author. This entity operates with volatility, and a more stable and supportive structure would benefit experts and the heritage terrain.
PAC – What should we contribute to and eliminate from the System?
Pablo Rodes – Any noble goal requires integrity. The art network should foster honesty and purpose while eliminating exploitative practices that undermine the genuine value of cultural declaration.
PAC – Tell us a bit about your journey.
Pablo Rodes – In my childhood, I discovered how drawing might transcend the surface truth of appearances. Later, in Tuscany, I experienced the affinity around inquisitiveness and the euphoria sparked by certain events. This realization conveyed my vital perspective: happiness through knowledge.
Pursuing a Master of Fine Arts at the Art Institute of Chicago further expanded my horizons. The program deepened my understanding of the relationship between intelligent expression and intellectual inquiry.
PAC – Define yourself using hashtags.
Pablo Rodes – #DrunkOnTheUniverse #SoulLandscaper
PAC – What are the themes of your creative work?
Pablo Rodes – Architect Andrea Branzi, recipient of the Compasso d’Oro, once welcomed me to his studio in Milan. There, we examined the combination of art and design and how their synergy revives the magic of ancient cultures. This association leaves a lasting intangible legacy.
Returning to the poet:
Tambourine of centuries to lull the man to sleep,
half an apple of gold that measures our time,
when we no longer feel, when we no longer exist,
you will continue to live.
The evanescent essence of time provides a foundational thread in my painting. José María Yturralde, winner of the National Plastic Arts Award, described my conception as follows:
It exudes intimacy. The emotional resonance of color captivates and seduces us. The subtle simplicity of its geometric framework evokes, in the distance, the infinite. Silence and emptiness create a masterfully deduced equilibrium, establishing a rich contrast of implications. Hence, a burst of lyrical sensuality shifts amid reality and illusion, transparency and desire, reason and meaning.
PAC – Do you have any pending projects you would like to realize?
Pablo Rodes – Yes, a proposal entitled Eppur si muove; an unfinished anthropocentric exploration.
PAC – A wish?
Pablo Rodes – Institutional support for access to education has strengthened my determination to interpret the complexities of contemporary concerns. I aspire to elevate the present by encoding new signs in the spirit of the Italian verb disegnare, meaning “to draw.”
As a professor, I have adopted strategies that foster learning and encourage exchange. Culture hovers between certainties and hopes, and I am ready to embrace the challenge.
