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    Camila Apaez

    Camila Apaez

    1. Where were you born and where are you from ?

    I was born in Mexico City and I’ve been living in Guadalajara pretty much all my life except for 4 or 5 years in Atlanta

    2. What is your first memory connected to the art world ?

    Hmm that’s a tricky question. I’ve always been exposed to creative processes, since my mom is an artist herself and the school where I was when I was little was really into art and creativity… so I think I’ve been exposed to the importance of creative expression ever since I was born. But I guess I started attending galleries and taking my creative process more seriously in high school, when I lived in Atlanta. I was new to the city and didn’t have many friends at the beginning so  i would spend a lot of my weekends going to galleries and museums and whenever I went abroad with my family for vacations I would always spend time at museums.

    3. Have you always worked in the art/design field ?

    In one way or another art is something I’ve always been drawn to, be it from the creative side or the “management” aspect of it; I studied art and cultural management so that naturally kept me close to many different kinds of artistic expressions.  Although  my work is often more associated with design, it think it currently stands right on the intersection between art, design and craft.

    4. What led you to the design creation ?

    Honestly it was something very organic and intuitive. I was first drawn to ceramics for the wheel throwing process and the material, and as I got acquainted with the material new possibilities began to emerge and there was no turning back afterwards. I began working manually instead of with the wheel and that allowed a whole new language that I believe now defines my work.

    5. How would you describe your creative process and it influences ?

    It’s definitely a non linear process, full of references and associations: looking at nature, at different kinds of art (specially photography and sculpture), working with my body through dance and other somatic practices, deep listening… all these influence my process which sometimes happens before I go into the materials, but once I’m on that, I leave all of the references behind and just let them work through me as I’m involvedWith the clay. Glazing and firing on the other hand is a much more meticulous and calculated process.

    6. Could you describe a typical day of your work ?

    Honestly it’s not so routinary, for example if we have wholesale orders pending, that gets priority but  luckily I have a great assistant that gives me a hand with that, so some days she is working with slip casting while I’m preparing glazes or glazing bisque ware. Also if I’m working on special commissions (as I am right now) I try to work on that everyday since they are usually more complex pieces that sometimes require specific clay bodies or glazes.

    7. Why did you choose the specific materials you work with ?

    At the beginning I was very viscerally drawn to it: the textures and the sensations it evokes was something that i absolutely had to try, and as I’ve evolves in my practice I’ve developed different formulas for clay bodies that allow the kind of shapes that I’m interested in, although it’s still clay. For me it’s such a kind material; the results in regards to shape and form are immediate,but nonetheless it teaches you a lot about patience and time in every step of the process

    8. What are the technical particularities of your creations ?

    My work is high temperature clay and all pieces from the one of a kind collection are manually created, the glazes are made from scratch and clay bodies are formulated specifically for the kind of work that I do, where the material needs to be flexible to maintain the curves and amorphous shapes, but strong enough to support the weight. For those pieces I work mainly with coiling, and for the permanent collections we work with casts from the original pieces.

    9. What advices could you give to beginning artists who would like to create sculptural design works ?

    To give enough time to their practice in order to develop a true language of their own… to observe and draw a lot, and to make no difference between “studio time” and “life time” or any other time, meaning that ideas that happen at the studio don’t always come from there,  they come from everyday life, from observing nature, architecture, people…

    10. If your works had to belong to a design movement, in which one would you define it ?

    Hm that´s a really good question. I think back in the 70´s there was a pretty big movement of organic shapes in design and architecture, and then there is also the works that sculptors like Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth or Jean Arp made a little before that. Both of these influence my work and I guess organic design is what would suit it best.

    11. What designers have influenced you ?

    I think my influences come more from the arts field,  however in regards to design I believe a definite influence would be Isamu Noguchi, J.B Blunk, Wendell Castle, Charles and Ray Eames, amongst others.

    12. What contemporary designers do you appreciate ?

    I really like the work of Rogan Gregory, Artur de Menezes, Simone Bodmer Turner

    13. What contemporary artists (in any kind of art) have you been inspired by ?

    I´m really drawn to the photographs of Bill Brandt, the sculptures of Louise Bourgeois and Barbara Hepworth, the dance work of Damian Jalet, The Nederlands Dance Theater, and NOHBORDS. In regards to more contemporary art, I would say Sophie Calle’s work has been really inspiring and definitely the work of Janine Antoni and Kiki Smith.

    14. If you had to summarize your creations in one word or sentence, what would it be ?

    A place where corporeal experiences, nature and words meet.

    15. Is there anything you would like to add ?

    Proust Questionnaire with very short answers (one or a few words) :
    (The Proust Questionnaire is a set of questions answered by the French writer Marcel Proust. Other historical figures who have answered confession albums are Oscar Wilde, Karl Marx, Arthur Conan Doyle, Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Cézanne…)

    1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?

    It has changed through out the years. Today, it is going to bed with a restful mind, reassured that matters have been dealt with, that good conversations have been had, that I laughed enough throughout the day and that I had one or two good ideas for new pieces.

    2. What is your greatest fear?

    Losing my mind.

    3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

    Sometimes I analyze things too much.

    4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?

    Obtuse mindset or the thought that one is always right

    5. Which living person do you most admire?

    My brother

    6. What is your greatest extravagance?

    When I´m with people that have known me for a while I can make loud and crazy sounds out of the blue.

    7. What is your current state of mind?

    Reassured

    8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

    Being honest. It should not be a virtue.

    9. What is the quality you most like in a man?

    Spontaneity and eloquence.

    10. What is the quality you most like in a woman?

    Strength and creativity.

    11. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

    Covid.

    Jk.. cant think of anything specific…

    12. Which talent would you most like to have?

    Singing decently.

    13. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

    I would make myself more diligent when dealing with unexpected matters.

    14. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

    Starting my masters in psychotherapy while keeping my brand afloat and growing.

    15. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

    As a thing.. probably a teapot.

    16. Where would you most like to live?

    In some rural town in the woods near an artistic city. Still haven´t found it though.

    17. What is your most treasured possession?

    My sketchbooks

    18. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

    Depending on extorting others to maintain oneself afloat.

    19. What is your favorite occupation?

    Being at the studio and riding my bike.

    20. What is your most marked characteristic?

    Probably being able to manage many projects at the same time (not literally the same time, but in the same timespan)

    21. What do you most value in your friends?

    Their sense of humor and their warmth

    22. Who are your favorite writers?

    Clarice Lispector, Rebecca Solnit, Guadalupe Nettel.

    23. Who is your hero of fiction?

    Don’t have one

    24. Which historical figure do you most identify with?

    I would like to think Lou Andreas Salomé but that would be very presumptuous

    25. Who are your heroes in real life?

    Hard to say…

    26. What are your favorite names?

    Io, Leonora (might change anytime)

    27. What is it that you most dislike?

    Getting out of the shower and stepping on wet tiles. I always need a bathroom mat.

    28. What is your greatest regret?

    Hmmm.. cant reacall one right now.. I guess that´s a good sign?

    29. How would you like to die?

    In my sleep or at the sea.

    30. What is your motto?

    I recently read that “who is head and who is not defines the status quo”. and that really resonated with me, in regards to my pyschotherapy studies and to listening as a political stance.

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