1) LOCATION?

Lima, Perú 🇵🇪

2) YEARS COLLAGING?

Since 2012.

3) WHAT DO YOU LOVE AND HATE ABOUT COLLAGE?

What I love about collage is that I feel I have learned a philosophy of life over time. Whenever I feel frustrated, without answers, or unsure how to resolve a problem in my life, I have turned to collage as a kind of oracle that has shown me a new process to try, a path to follow, or a perspective that has led me to find a solution. There is nothing about collage that displeases me.

4) BIGGEST INFLUENCES?

They have changed a lot, and I am continually adding more influences to my work. Hector Delgado AKA Grumos is the person I consider my mentor because he showed me other aspects of collage beyond cutting and pasting paper. He is a teacher who instructed me without trying to impose his style. I didn't take a class with him or create collages together. I learned a lot through conversations with him. Similarly, Jonathan Castro AKA Bestia. His vision of collage has transformed into videos, installations, fashion, design, and various pursuits as an art director and multidisciplinary artist.

Looking at the work of André Bergamin, Ashkan Honarvar, and Jack Felice always instils faith and hope in what one can achieve as an artist. In this stage of my career, I seek influence from artists who aren't specifically associated with collage. I am influenced by Peruvian artists such as Jorge Cabieses, Yerko Zlatar, Claudia Martinez Garay, Fernando de Szyszlo, Alfredo Máquez; the band Liquidarlo Celuloide; the poetry of Victoria Guerrero and Mariela Dreyfus. Internationally: Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, O'Keeffe, Hilma af Klimt, Robert Mapplethorpe, Pablo de Rokha. Also, Hip Hop, a significant amount of Jazz and Free Jazz, cinema, literature, and observations from the street all contribute to my artistic influences. In essence, the world is my influence."

5) ANALOG VS DIGITAL, PROS & CONS?

The collage is the collage. It doesn't matter whether it was made by hand, on a computer, or with elbows; we must study and analyze collage as a process, and the outcome of that process as an image. It is the only way I have been able to comprehend collage and discover new aspects. When you have fewer options to choose from, your mind will focus on finding a solution with the limited choices available. Creating analog collages may engage your mind in a way that reveals new paths, and when you decide to work digitally, you can elevate your ideas to another level using the tools that technology can provide. Not all pieces we create should be considered final; perhaps they are only sketches of an idea or part of a larger concept that we will later need to evaluate for the best method of execution. The manner in which you did something takes a backseat when your idea is expressed in a way that is universally understood, evoking the intended emotions from everyone who experiences it.

6) HOW DO YOU SPEND YOUR DOWNTIME?

I spend time with my family. I try to observe and absorb everything I can, whether it be from silence or noise. I also enjoy reading some of the many pending books I have, listening to different types of music, or watching movies."

7) THREE TIPS FOR SOMEONE STARTING OUT IN COLLAGE?

No Googling: “Collage” in the first 2 months
Don't post anything on social media for the first 6 months
Cut and paste the first idea or instinct without hesitation
Extra tip: The biggest source of inspiration is within you. Your personal story, your loves, hates, joys, and sorrows. Who you are and how you think are something unique and irreplaceable. Use it.

8) WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR ART PRACTISE IN 5-10 YEARS TIME?

As an artist, I would like to be creating a completely different collage from what I do now, having new ideas and other ways of doing it. I would also like to be able to teach a more philosophical approach to collage in art institutions and, who knows, perhaps achieve the establishment of the first professional degree specializing in collage.

9) UP AND COMING SHOWS OR PROJECTS WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?

I don't have any projects at the moment. In this stage of my life, I want to delve deeper into collage, focus on changing my style, and discover new ways of creating collages.

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Instagram: @erickbalto