six months in the jungle
sierrah
interview with i.t.a.
welcome to powder sierrah. it’s great to speak with an artist who is on his way up in the peruvian scene.
what’s it like to be starting out on the lima scene at the moment? how are you working your way into the scene?
Well, I've been away from my country recently. I've been living for eight years in Argentina, so to come back and continue my career here is very exciting. For my part I have some projects that I hope will materialize soon, of course, to continue painting and in my neighborhood, where there are no murals.
Bueno, he estado muy despegado de mi pais, he estado viviendo durante ocho años en Argentina, por lo que volver y continuar mi carrera aquí es muy emocionante. Por mi parte tengo algunos proyectos que espero se concreten pronto, por supuesto, de seguir pintando y más en mi barrio, donde no hay murales.
what’s the scene like in lima? is it a big community? what do you think is unique about the lima scene that you wouldn’t get in other cities?
I’ve been back in Lima for two months, since I returned from Buenos Aires. I've seen a lot of traditional graffiti (letters and bombing) but not a significant amount of figurative or abstract pieces. In other cities we made murals during festivals. But I don’t think it's for lack of talent but of resources.
Space, there’s many walls waiting to be painted. Lima is not saturated in graffiti like other cities. That's something appealing for those who do graffiti.
Llevo viviendo dos meses en Lima desde que llegué de Buenos Aires, por lo que he visto hay mucho graffiti tradicional(letras y bombing) pero no una considerable cantidad de murales figurativos o abstractos como en otras ciudades, los que hay fueron hechos durante festivales. Pero no creo que sea por falta de talento sino de recursos.
Espacio, muchas paredes esperando a ser pintadas, Lima no es una ciudad saturada de graffiti como otras. Eso es algo atractivo para los que hacen graffiti.
what led you to become an artist? what made you take up the brush and when did you take it out onto the streets?
I always knew I wanted to do something related to art, it was innate, as I have no artistic influence from my family. Three years ago, I was an illustrator working but I was looking forward to making my way out onto the streets. I wanted something totally distinct from being at a desk.
Estar relacionado con el arte fue algo que siempre quise, fue algo innato ya que no tengo influencia artistica por parte de mi familia. Hace tres años que trabajo como ilustrador pero fueron las ganas de volver a lo tradicional lo que me llevó a pintar en las calles. Quería algo totalmente distindo a estar en un escritorio.
which artists influence you from lima? which artists do you follow in lima?
There are quite a few, Entities and Terrible, Conrad, DMJC crew, Elliot Tupac, Jade, Decertor. I am lucky to know them and some of them are my friends.
Han algunos cuantos, Entes y Pésimo, Conrad, DMJC crew, Elliot Tupac, Jade, Decertor. Tengo la suerte de conocerlos y que algunos sean amigos mios.
you seem to plan your murals thoroughly before you get out on the street to paint them. what is your process when creating a new work and where does your inspiration come from?
Usually, I just sketch the shape, color and the background for a moment before I decide to start. It’s not just inspiration, what I do is the result of many elements that I’ve found interesting at some point; I process it and then it ends up in a wall. However, I do try to depict things that are familiar to people. If I had to mention a source of "inspiration,” it would always be people.
Por lo general, solo boceto las formas, el color y el fondo lo decido un momento antes de empezar. No se si haya inspiración, lo que hago es el resultado de muchos elementos que me parecen interesantes, los voy procesando y en algun momento terminan en una pared. Sin embargo, trato que cada vez tengan cosas que le sean familiares a las personas. Si tuviera que mencionar una fuente de "inspiración" siempre sería la gente.
there seems to be reoccurring themes of nature in your work: the birds, the fish, the bulls. do you have an affinity with wildlife?
I had the opportunity to live for six months in the jungles of Peru as a child, I remember the experience of being there as very rich.
Tuve la oportunidad de vivir durante seis meses en la selva del Perú cuando era niño, las experiencias que recuerdo de haber estado allí son muy ricas.
in your illustrations you sometimes depict people wearing animals’ heads as a covering for their heads. a lot of street artists seem to be painting images of people wearing the animal heads. why do you think these are popular at the moment? what are they all about?
Living in the city you lack contact with nature and its beauty. I think many include animals in their paintings so that contact is not lost, if only if it is on a wall. There are others that include them for their symbolic meaning. Of course, there is the visual appeal with the animals, drawing and painting animals contributes a lot to the beauty of a piece.
Vivir en la ciudad te alejan del contacto con la naturaleza y su belleza. Creo que muchos incluyen animales en sus pinturas para que no se pierda ese contacto, aunque sea solo a travez de un muro. Hay otros que los incluyen por su sentido simbólico. Claro, también está el atractivo visual que tienen las especies, dibujar o pintar animales contribuye mucho a la belleza de una pieza.
is street art legal in lima? do the police harass street artists? what do you think street art does for the community?
Yes, it is legal. All you usually need to do is just knock on the door of the house owner and ask permission. The times do come when the police have talked with the owners but I show them my sketchbook and that’s it. For me it has not been a problem.
Si, es legal. Por lo general en sudamerica solo basta con tocar la puerta del dueño de casa y pedir permiso. Las veces que se ha acercado la policia he hablado con ellos, les muestro mi cuaderno de bocetos y no más que eso, para mi no han sido problema.
you work on the city streets and also draw illustrations. which do you prefer to do? what are benefits of both?
Well, at the moment, I enjoy painting on the streets more. I get physically tired and even dirty but I still see the immediate reaction of people and this satisfies me.
Bueno, en este momento, disfruto más de pintar en la calle, el hecho de cansarme físicamente, incluso de ensuciarme para realizar una obra y ver la reacción inmediata de las personas es satisfactorio.
you’ve taken your street art around latin america. which cities have you painting in? which cities hold the best memories for you?
Chile, Argentina and Peru are the countries of Latin America where I have been, but only the latter two have I painted. Buenos Aires is where my greatest memories are, well, I began to paint there. Also I have good friends, especially RRIOBA group who came to paint outside the capital.
Chile, Argentina y Perú son los paises de latino américa en los que he estado, pero solo en estos dos últimos he pintado. Buenos Aires es de donde tengo mayores recuerdos, bueno, empecé a pintar allí. Además tengo buenos amigos, en especial el grupo RRIOBA con quienes salía a pintar fuera de capital.
what does twenty fourtheen hold for sierrah? what projects do you have coming up this year?
This year I had the opportunity to participate in the urban art festival LATIDOAMERICANO, so it was a good start. I have projects in mind with others, so hopefully they come to fruitition. So my work will surely continue to be seen.
Este año he tenido la oportunidad de participar en el festival de arte urbano LATIDOAMERICANO, asi que ha sido un buen comienzo. Tengo proyectos en mente con otros compañeros, pero espero revelarlos cuando sean un hecho. Pero de seguro seguirán viendo más de mi trabajo, uno más maduro.
gracias for speaking with us here at powder sierrah. it’s a pleasure to feature an up-and-coming artist like yourself.
No, on the contrary, thank you.
No, por el contrario, gracias a ustedes.
check sierrah's tumblr
