Enrique Avilez

“I admire nature. I marvel at the perfection that the marine coral forms, the textures of the reefs. I love the beauty of wood and stones; their whimsical forms speak to me of freedom. My preferred medium is moist clay from my region of Baja, Mexico - adobe. I like the feel of the material in my hands, knowing that it is organic and alive.”

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Artist Statement

(abbreviated - click here to download full statement in English & Spanish)

Why I do this kind of art?

I admire nature. I marvel at the perfection that the marine coral forms, the textures of the reefs. I love the beauty of wood and stones: its whimsical forms speak to me about freedom.  I especially choose to model with moist clay, I like to feel the material in my hands. I know that the substance is organic and has life.

How I do it, what is the technique and materials?

Everything is from the earth, adobe, clay and found objects; The objects are sometimes trash, pieces of stone, seeds, roots, shells, branches, bones of animals, parts of computers... All I find interesting:  I will take it to my studio, where I keep it for an indefinite time, until I incorporate it into a new sculpture. I like to know where the things I carefully select are from. I usually collect them from the landscape and the various places I visit often. I also collect different types of clay and mud, keep them moist in an optimal state to use at any time. I like to unite the different elements to create figures, especially human anatomy because my best way of understanding life is projecting my self in nature.

What inspires me?

The connection that is established with the people who see my work motivates me; the expression in their faces, their state of amazement and surprise is something that gives me joy for many reasons: Mostly, because I created it while playing but also because I like to believe that my works of art can contribute to healing the ecological damage that is made to the planet.

¿Por qué hago este tipo de arte?

Porque admiro la naturaleza, me maravilla la perfección de las formas del coral marino, las texturas de los arrecifes; amo la belleza de la madera: sus caprichosas formas me hablan de libertad y -en especial- elijo trabajar con barro, tierra húmeda para modelar, me gusta sentir el material entre mis manos, sé que el material es orgánico y tiene vida.

¿Cómo lo hago, cual es la técnica y materiales?

Todo está en la tierra, el adobe y objetos encontrados; los objetos son en ocasiones basura, pedazos de piedra, semillas, raíces, conchas, ramas, huesos de animales, partes de computadoras… todo lo que me resulta interesante: lo junto, lo llevo a mi taller, en donde lo guardo por tiempo indefinido, hasta que lo incorporo a una nueva escultura. Me gusta saber en dónde están las cosas que cuidadosamente selecciono del paisaje y de los diferentes lugares que acostumbro visitar; también colecciono diferentes tipos de arcillas y barro, los mantengo húmedos en estado optimo para usarlos en cualquier momento, me gusta unir los diferentes elementos para crear figuras, en especial anatomía humana porque mi mejor forma de entender la vida es proyectándome en la naturaleza.

¿Qué es lo que me inspira?

Me motiva la conexión que se establece con las personas que ven mi obra, el estado de asombro y sorpresa que reflejan sus rostros es algo que me da alegría por muchas razones: primero, porque lo hago jugando y también porque me gusta creer que mi obra de arte puede contribuir a sanar el daño ecológico que se hace al planeta.

Artist Talk with Enrique Avilez at Art Palm Springs 2020

From the Silo118 Blog:

Art Palm Springs 2020 & Artist Talk with Enrique Avilez
Notes from Enrique Avilez