Claudio Roncoli is an Argentine artist who blends nostalgic images from the worlds of advertising, politics, religion, and 1950s American culture with his own artistic interventions and in turn social commentary. His work critiques the absurdity of the human condition and challenges the viewer to think differently about the many topics he confronts.
Claudio shared with us his inspirations, advice for young artists, and his next project.
What inspires you?
Nearly everything that surrounds me. The media, the machine gun of information that keeps ideas and concepts brewing in my head, which at some point I express in my work. Also all the advertisements from the decades of the 50s to the 70s inspire me because they continue to repeat themselves today, at the present time.
What is the creative process that you undertake with your illustrations?
First I scan the images that inspire me at the moment or that I think will serve me in the future, later in a computer program I put together the collage and I print it out on blackout fabric. When those tarps come to my studio, I mount them on the wall and start my intervention.
Do you prefer that your work is shown in an exposition or that it has an interaction with the public?
They are two very similar things, but it’s true that people these days don’t go to galleries that often, some more to the museums, and it’s ideal to have a great sculpture in a public park so that everyone can enjoy it, and that is what I am currently working on.
Much of your art seems to expose the absurdity of the human condition and challenges the way people perceive politics, religion, and consumerism. What artists, philosophers, and/or writes have helped influence your thinking?
I think about many, but although it may seem like a joke the politicians or those individuals and institutions responsible for the economy who are bad at their job influence me much more than any Nobel Prize winner.
Five objects that define you as an artist:
IDENTITY, ROCK, IRONY, FUN, and RISK.
Any advice for young artists and creatives?
TRAVEL, READ, THINK, WRITE, KICK ASS, AND TRAVEL SOME MORE.
What’s next for Claudio Roncoli?
An exhibition in New York, a monumental sculpture in Mexico, and enjoy myself.