“I Always Knew I was a Creative and that I Wanted to Work with my Bare Hands”— Fernando Cuétara
“I love my minimalist life,- the less I have, the more at peace I am with myself. I need nothing, I am happy with nothing.” -Fernando Cuétara
INTERVIEW WITH ARTIST FERNANDO CUÉTARA
Fernando Cuétara (born 1969) is a self-taught artist, born and raised in Madrid, Spain. His inspiration comes from regularity, symmetry, minimalism, and harmony. His career path was everything but linear. He was a major component to his family business followed by a very challenging corporate career path. From there, he went onto exploring the world. Fernando Cuétara describes his work as very sensual and minimal. He uses manipulated fabrics, LED lights and acrylic. Currently he is even experimenting with coffee. The artist finds joy in experimenting with wood, angles and textures, his current goal is to make the actual canvas disappear all together. His biography describes him as a nineteenth century artisan. For Fernando Cuétara, the folding technique he uses is the key to the composition of his paintings, that’s where matter and soul meet.
On one sunny Miami afternoon, we spontaneously decided to visit Fernando Cuétara’s studio in Wynwood. Since I flew in from New York where I reside part-time, I have been also looking for a studio space to work at on a few commissioned installations in Miami. My friend Charles Conkright thought it was a great idea to introduce me to a good friend who happens to be a great artist, and loves working with wood as well,- Fernando Cuètara. So was really excited to meet Fernando and understand his process. I remembered meeting him briefly a few years back in the summer of 2019 through a dear friend as well, who was working at a very prestigious gallery in Wynwood at the time.
Charles on the other hand, I met recently earlier this year. He happens to be an art dealer, and he is part of The Misfits Book Club, a small book club where about ten of us meet every four weeks or so, and discuss the books we read. The book club was founded by my friend Aura Copeland and James Robinson. Aura happens to be the founder and the editor of this very magazine, as well as Les Couleurs Charity, and James is the founder of Robinson Speakers Bureau. They thought Miami is really much more than just exotic cars, late nights, and tequila shots. They choose a book every four weeks or so, you read correctly: they choose the books! Regardless of the implemented dictatorship, as the rest of us call it — it’s a lot of fun! The topics are hot, controversial and sometimes there’s some crazy drama! it wouldn’t be fun without it, would it? It is Miami after all. We have read a variety of great titles including “Middlemarch” by George Eliot, “Back to Blood” by Tom Wolf, “The Better Angels of Our Nature” by Stephen Pinker, “Guns, Germs and Steel”, “Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom” among others.
When Charles suggested to meet with Fernando Cuètara I thought it would be just a perfect time to interview him right there and then — not just to do a studio visit. Catching the artist off guard might be just as interesting. It is hot and humid on a Miami afternoon, and this is May! Charles picks me up and once en route downtown, I realized I forgot my water bottle so I asked Charles if he had water, he replied: “I don't have water, but I do have rosé and some orange juice.” Charles brought a cooler with him! I was perplexed and decided not to question him, so I said “okay, [clearing throat] I’ll take orange juice” immediately normalizing the situation. Once at the red light on the way to Wynwood, Charles reaches out for his cooler in the back seat, hands me over a very fancy glass, not a plastic one, and nonchalantly pours fresh and cool orange juice. What a great way to make it to the art studio I thought. I eventually had to ask why he chose rosé and orange juice, to which he responded “Well, you cannot show up to an artist’s studio without some form of alcohol, that wouldn’t be very polite, don’t you agree?”, to which I replied, “I mean, yes of course.” We both giggled and made our way to the Bakehouse Art complex.
Cuétara’s studio is located at the Bakehouse; it's a wonderful building that supports artists providing sustainable ecosystem in Miami in which artists and the arts can thrive. Once inside the Bakehouse, we stumbled upon the director, she glared over Charles and curiously asked, what’s in that cooler? Walking straight to the back and without blinking, fast-paced Charles replies: “refreshments!” Time was very precious at that very moment, we were on a quest for some juicy stories!
Fernando Cuétara typically spends the summers abroad, it gets too hot and humid in Miami for his taste. We were lucky to find him here, as he was about to take off again. This year he plans to spend the summer in a little town near Majorca called Pollença which is located in the northern part of the island. Every summer you could find the artist sailing with friends, or making art on some very picturesque island in Spain. The father of a 12-year-old daughter wants to make sure he’s always close to her. Fernando Cuètara’s life is like a beautiful dream as if you were living in a movie, and not just any movie. It feels like Woody Allen’s film: “Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona”. The painter’s life is very much like Juan Antonio, in the movie — I mean, literally!
Fernando received us warmly with his very positive, charming, and soft energy. The artist has crazy curly hair, he is very tanned and is wearing a shirt that used to be white, with paint all over. He has two really bright-colored reading glasses, one is red, the other one is blue — one hanging off his neck. Aura joined us shortly after, though she was glued to her phone checking the stock market [which is very unlike her] it didn’t stop her from being fully present when Fernando shared his anecdotes and career path. We all sat at a little table in the corner, Charles sat on his red cooler, made some mimosa and the artist rolled up a cigarette. Between laughter, rosé, and the orange juice, we learned about the existence of a great artist living his best life. Fernando’s career is very inspiring. It shows us that there are really no rules to becoming an artist. He is a successful example that absolutely anything is possible.
FERNANDO CUÉTARA
From the artist’s archives
MARIA SANCHEZ: How did you become an artist?
FERNANDO CUÉTARA: I began my career as an artist when I was thirty-three years old, I am now fifty-one. I had my own business at thirty-one and I started painting on Sundays. I was a Sunday only painter on the streets of Madrid. My paintings were selling like hotcakes. The transition from managing a family business in the corporate world, was certainly not easy. I came from working with my family business, a cookie factory with 1.000 employees - you can only imagine how challenging that was. I very much enjoyed that life when I was a child, my dad would test the nw cookie’s formula at home. My friends would come from all over to test all the cookies, my house was full of kids! As a child, this is a true paradise, but not so much as an adult.
Working in a factory was actually very challenging. After a while, I left Cuetara’s cookie factory to start my own company with a partner - that did not go as expected either. I continued to venture and challenge myself in the corporate world some more time, only to realize it simply wasn’t for me. I always wanted to work with my bare hands, so I decided to leave all that behind me and work with my name, and so I became an artist. That tumultuous career path brought me to what my artwork is today - it was the best career decision I ever made. My paintings had a lot of texture in the beginning, I produced over 400 paintings with three-dimensional effects using found objects,- I thought, I am in my element. My technique developed into minimalism as I became more interested in simplifying my life. I express myself and communicate through my art with very few materials. As I get older I want less of the material world. I am happy with nothing.
MS: Tell us about your roots, why do you have a Mexican passport?
FC: My family moved to Mexico before the war, when the war ended they returned to Spain. By the time they returned, my father was about 8 years old. My family decided it was a good idea to preserve my Mexican citizenship and pass it on through generations. Being Mexican in Spain would spare the younger generation from serving in the military - so I didn't even get my Spanish passport until I was about twenty-something.
MS: LED lights?
FC: I used to work with color LED lights, and now I only use warm white only.
MS: What inspired you to work with coffee recently?
FC: I drink a lot of coffee, so one day I started collecting coffee grounds. Now I mix it with clear acrylic, then pour it over the canvas and the result is fascinating. During the drying process the coffee does magic, it cracks, it moves as if it was alive somehow. Then I add LED lights to the back of the painting and the light comes through the cracks. Recycling what we use is really enlightening.
FERNANDO CUÉTARA
From the artist’s archives
MS: What is a normal day for you?
FC: I wake up around 9:00 am to 10:00 am, I head to have breakfast which usually takes about 90 minutes. Then, I make my way to the beach, I take what I call a Mediterranean shower, I take a little nap, I meditate, and head to the studio fully energized, and ready to work.
AC: Why Miami?
FC: In 2015 I did my first solo show in Miami, at the Spanish Cultural Center. I had produced twenty-five very large pieces for the exhibition. It was a very big event. I stayed for about a year, and that’s when it all began. I did live in Miami briefly with my family in the ’80s. At the time my father was developing a product similar to the air fryer everyone is talking about now. Miami did not have everything he needed for him to develop the product further, my father’s goal was to create a snack that was 99% fat-free. The entire family moved to California for about a decade. After I completed the high school, I moved to Switzerland for about four years to study International business, with a minor in economics. There were too many ghosts in Switzerland, so I moved back to California. Upon my arrival I had a big fight with my brother, that resulted in a breakdown, and so I returned to Miami.
MS: Tell me about your first solo show in Spain ?
FC: It was in the biggest and most the important building in Madrid at the time, I exhibited about thirty-five pieces there and they all sold out. Celebrities like Cristiano Ronaldo attended, my friends and family, it was amazing. After a successful exhibit, I was so happy, but what came afterwards,- was absolutely devastating. I received a lot of criticism from the art critics, the press, the community, non-profit organizations. I was on the front page of local newspapers in Madrid. As it turns out the biggest art dealer didn’t think I should have had the privilege of exhibiting in such a building. He referred to me as entitled rich kid. I was sad and devastated, but I learned a big lesson. In order to be accepted in the art world, I really had to have something intelligent to say. Shortly after this, I locked myself in the studio and took no calls or messages from anyone, I didn't see anybody. I felt like I didn’t want to be contaminated by the outside world anymore. I just focused on finding my own voice and just made a lot of art, I worked in my studio completely isolated for six years.
MS: What’s next?
FC: I am headed to Mexico for a big exhibition next week. I am always traveling the world, always moving. My mother showed us how to really enjoy life, so that’s what I do.
MS: How would you like people to remember you?
FC: I would like my paintings to last a very long time, that’s it.
FERNANDO CUÉTARA
From the artist’s archives
FERNANDO CUÉTARA
From the artist’s archives
FERNANDO CUÉTARA
From the artist’s archives
FERNANDO CUÉTARA
From the artist’s archives
FERNANDO CUÉTARA
From the artist’s archives
FERNANDO CUÉTARA
From the artist’s archives
