8 Questions with Roberto Cuellar
Roberto Cuellar creates scenes with his sculptures and installations that oscillate between interior design and set design. The sculptural elements of his installations and murals in interiors & exteriors generate their energetic presence through contrasting color palettes, illumination, and a participatory potential, explicitly shown in his works that initiate a performative action.
Cuellar's formal characteristics are geometric and graphical, an artistic identity - with technical complexity and various materials ranging from wood, steel, plastic, lighting, and other components that are combined playfully.
As an artist, Cuellar takes a position that fuses elements of design and pop culture with a sculptural and scenographic approach to create free-standing sculptures, installations, and reliefs. Throughout his career, Cuellar has been collaborating with various international artists and leading skate brands. His works associated with skateparks and store windows of famous luxury brands have been settings to diverse music and skateboarding videos while remaining visible in the public space.
Through skateboarding, Roberto Cuellar Santacruz learned perseverance during his youth, which is caused by the constant trial and error, and by getting up, again and again, that makes you overcome your fears. We work arduously for a long time to enrich our repertoire of tricks.
The perception through a compassionate approach allows an extraordinary interaction with our environment. Roberto later discovered the same qualities for himself in the creation of fine art. The perseverance one needs, the constant overcoming of fears, and consistently questioning oneself and work. The different materials to discover for ourselves and the years of practice we need to enrich our repertoire of experience and knowledge - which we later need to put together skillfully to develop our own form of expression and style...
"To never be done and to reach yourself at the same time. That is the paradox of successful oneself." - Sören Kierkegaard.
Roberto Cuellar Santacruz©
LIVE INTERVIEW
Could you tell us a little more about your background, and how did you realize that you would become an artist?
At the age of 12, I discovered skateboarding and realized that it is all about self-expression. Later, my interest in graphic design led me to create my own worlds or backdrops in a skateboard context, leading me to create skateable-sculptures. To expand my knowledge, I studied at the art academy in Düsseldorf, where I found my direct connection to a fine art.
Your work emerges between installations and sculptures, Interior design, and urban art. What are you trying to communicate with your art?
It is about the perception of the environment, whether inside or outside, and especially the interaction with it. I find it very interesting to create works that reflect my visions and interact with the audience if the idea demands it.
What do you see as the strengths of this multidisciplinary expression, visually or conceptually?
I think to work visually and conceptually compliments each other. Through the work's conceptual approach, I get answers that I wouldn't get if I only focus on the visual and vice versa.
Could you tell our readers about your creative process?
My approach is always based on the basic aspects of the respective project. I do this systematically and ask myself the questions: which location is involved, which perceptions do I want to create for the audience, which materials are best suited for this or not, etc. This allows me to work efficiently and in a more goal-oriented way. This way, I achieve results that retain a particular strength in the concept and visual language.
Roberto Cuellar Santacruz©
Are you a skater? And what experience of your life is reflected in your works of art?
Yes! I'm active in skateboarding for over 20 years now. For me, there is no difference between skateboarding and creating art. Let me explain:
Through skateboarding during my youth, I learned perseverance, practiced through constant trial and error, and got up again and again, which makes you overcome your fears. You work arduously for a long time to enrich your own repertoire of tricks.
I later discovered the same practices in the creation of fine art. The perseverance one needs, the constant overcoming of fears, and consistently questioning oneself and work. The different materials to discover for yourself and the years of practice you need to enrich your repertoire of experience and knowledge. Later, it would help if you put together skill-fully to develop your form of expression and style.
You have been collaborating with various international artists and leading skate brands. What was the most exciting/challenging part of this project?
The most exciting part so far has been to work for the first time with people I have admired (professional skaters) since I was a little kid.
The most challenging experience has been when I landed my first big project, where I had to build over six sculptures for a big company/event at once. At this stage of my career, I was really young and didn't have much building experience. But somehow, everything worked out well!
Roberto Cuellar Santacruz©
What obstacles do you face in making and exhibiting your work?
It's always different. However, whether it is a Skatable-Sculpture in a public space or an exhibition in a gallery, but I would say my large sculptures are mostly physically demanding.
What do you wish you knew about Contemporary Art before you got started?
I thought the Contemporary Art world was the only place where the pure sustainability of a work's value is what counts. Thankfully I have learned that this was just a naive, childish thought... it is nice to still strive for it, though.
How do you see the skateboarding evolving in the field of contemporary art in the next five years?
I think the pace at which the number of people who come from skateboarding is finding their way into contemporary arts is increasing. I think it's normal because its an organic process and now there are no borders. The development is going in the direction that it won't make any difference where the artist's works are presented, whether in a pure skateboard advertising context or a gallery context. Both will have the same relevance in the long run.
Roberto Cuellar Santacruz©
Roberto, Share something you would like the world to know about you?
You're welcome to study my work; it should translate into what you need to know about me and my vision. I'm always open to discuss collaboration, commissioned skateable sculptures, and murals all over the world.
Finally, who is Roberto Cuellar in three words?
Passion, Persistence, and Love.
