Juliano Mazzuchini

How did you get into making art?

I started with theater and until I was 36, I had never been interested in painting. I’m an actor before I’m a painter. So, my beginning was through the body, through action, through performance. Art, for me, must pass through the body. Today, when I paint, I draw from my acting experience. I trust the gesture. Even though I’m primarily a figurative painter, I seek to find the invisible, the unspeakable, something that I can only express through painting.

What are you currently working on?

At the moment, I am working on a solo exhibition that I will have at the end of this year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I am organizing the works in a dialogue between my current production and that of recent years. I’ve been reflecting on how I want those who view my paintings to have the same feeling as when they look at an abstract painting, where the figure or part of the figure I paint might displace reason a bit and make room for sensation. Perhaps that unspeakable element in my work inhabits this abstract place in my figurative painting.

What inspired you to get started on this body of work?

Since I am in a moment of change, leaving Argentina and returning to Brazil, I am reflecting on my body of work. I’m looking back in order to project a new future body of work. The change and new perspectives are bubbling in my mind now, and this will undoubtedly be reflected in my production.

Do you work on distinct projects or do you take a broader approach to your practice?

My approach is broader. Often, I spend time painting an open-ended theme that motivates me to investigate pictorially, while in parallel, I think of more focused plans, close-ups, compositions in a more zoomed-in manner. I expand the gesture so that the reading perspective of this gesture also expands. I use the stain as a form of imbalance as well.

What’s a typical day like in your studio?

A typical day in my studio always starts with coffee, then I check and respond to emails, monitor shipments, and resolve administrative tasks before painting. I usually paint very quickly, so I need to be free of all pending matters and have a focused and present mind to paint. Then I start constructing the image, either by producing photos or borrowing photos as a base. It is very rare for me to return to the same work the next day. I paint in one breath, on the same day, from start to finish. Painting as an intimate performative act.

Who are your favorite artists?

I think Gerhard Richter is the greatest living contemporary artist. He influences me a lot. For me, Francis Bacon has the most powerful paintings of recent centuries. But my favorite artists go beyond painting. Nan Goldin, for example, is an amazing photographer! Caetano Veloso in music is one of the greatest. Zé Celso in theater, immortal.

Where do you go to discover new artists?

I attend vernissages at galleries and museums in Buenos Aires, but I also subscribe to several newsletters from art portals, galleries, museums, etc. Instagram is another great way to discover new artists and follow contemporary production. I pay attention to contemporary figurative artists outside the U.S. and Europe. There are several incredible artists in Africa, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, and so on.