Víctor Vázquez, the internationally renowned Puerto Rican photographer, shares some insight into the nature of his work in Diálogo 365
November 16, 2011 § 1 Comment
VV: In recent years my work has focused on the exploration of ideas related to the construction of knowledge, history, memory, and identity. The basic objective and intention is to investigate and reflect on how the state (the establishment) imposes, reproduces and legitimizes acceptable social practices, and how these are defined.
Territorial. Lambda impression polyptych, 40″ x 60″, 2005. Courtesy of Seraphin Gallery.
VV: In the contemporary world we are living today, it is evident there is a very
thin line between knowing and not knowing…Reality and fiction, truth and not
truth…In the experience of everyday life this is less clear and harder to discern.
Line that Separates. Lambda impression diptych, 48″ x 96″, 2005. Courtesy of Seraphin Gallery.
VV: The current society worries about formulating questions about the traditional
concepts of history, memory and, in some instances, art. Every day we discover
how the information that reaches us – about politics, religion, science, art, and
normal every day news – is falsified and intentionally manipulated.
We know that none of this is new, as history has always been written and
controlled by the people in power. However, today’s technology and its new
means of communication, with all of its webs of manipulation apparatuses, are
becoming more sophisticated each day, make it harder to provoke individual
discernment and decoding of social practices.
Migration. Lambda impression polyptych, 90″ x 90″, 2005. Courtesy of Seraphin Gallery.
VV: My art practice consists in establishing a dialogue between what is out there
and ways of communicating, with the intention to problematize, redefine and
generate questions about subjects related to globalization, migration, history
and identity.
Currently, I am investigating the concept of the archetype of pre-established
politics, and the problems related to the displacement and dislocation of
knowledge and communication. Art today, as a tool, gives one freedom to
communicate using any kind of means. By intentionally creating metaphors
through the use of language (the one that it is used to manipulate and
control), specific art practices, and by becoming directly involved with
the community, I try to problematize and question the ways people perceive,
understand and relate with one another and their environment.
Victor Vazquez is indeed an internationally renowned artist. It is a pleasure to read about his work and future projects.