Artist Carlos Mateu, who left his native Cuba
in 1997, calls his style pop geometric.
He combines aspects of cubism and realism in
his paintings, and he draws upon mysticism
and the surreal in order to reflect the
Afro-Cuban experience in his work.
Mateu joined me to discuss his career as
both a visual artist and dancer.
My first paintings they were practically
representing, like, the views of Havana,
like, I'm feeling like I was missing my -- my
city. And everything was very traditional,
very strong cultural oriented, in terms of
my background. So, I was working with the
gallery of San Juan for the first couple,
three years. Since my work was very, very
tropical, very reflecting all the nature of
Caribbean. And that was the beginning.
Throughout your life, you have had a
combination of formal art studies and
completed your art education at the renowned
San Alejandro National Academy of Fine Arts
in Havana.
How and when did your interest in art begin?
And did you ever imagine that this could
result in a profession for you?
Well, the beginning is, I think that you are
born with it. I mean, some people, they
choose to be artists, but I didn't choose to
be artist, I was born an artist.
And responding to questions about my style,
because my style is the combination.
When you look at it, it's not like you plan
it. I say you don't say, "I'm going to put a
little bit of Picasso, a little bit of Van
Gogh. I make this cocktail and it's going to
be my style." That doesn't work that way.
Maybe for some people, but not for me,
because I did it in a very natural and
unconscious way.
And one day, I was at the National Academy
drawing a banana tree, which is straight
lines, and I said, "I have to keep a
relationship between drawing and painting.
This is not cubism.
" And then I start, because during that
period of time I was strongly influenced by
silkscreen, so I ended up bringing the
separation of layers of traditional
silkscreen. But then I said, I have to
connect the painting with the drawing.
So, all the separation of layers, down to
responding to the drawings, and working with
straight lines, and all the shapes with
paint was also with a straight line.
And, and that was the beginning of what I
defined my -- my style is the combination of
the experiences that you have in your life.
In addition to being a visual artist, you are
also a professional dancer, having learned
how to dance from your grandparents.
How do these two art forms intersect and
influence each other for you?
Well, I never saw that I'm going to be on a
stage dancing.
That was not my goal.
The thing is, you -- you see, then I see
that I have a talent and I say, "I'm a
painter." And I stop saying that I'm a
painter, I'm saying that I'm an artist and
an artist cover the whole spectrum.
Cover theater, cover writing, cover many
different things, and all these things that
work together. And sometimes you have the
same concept that I have for painting is the
same concept that I have for dancing.
The difference is that the body has to
respond to what you have in mind, and then
you have to manage that.
The other thing that I have to say, I used
to be very introverted as a painter and in
my personal -- personality, and then
dancin, you cannot be introverted.
You have to be extroverted.
I mean, as a painter, I just paint.
Nobody has to see me.
I can put my work in a show and and that's
it. But as a dancer, you have to be out
there. And if you are representing your
culture, you have to give your 100% and take
everything inside out.
And -- and people have to see that.
You cannot stay halfway.
You have to show all your feelings and
expose everything.
How do you think your art will speak to
everybody regardless of their cultural
backgrounds?
Unfolding my background, I mean, that's the
foundation. That's the foundation and that's
what -- is what...let you know who you are
and where you come from and where -- where
to go. I mean, if you don't have a strong
foundation, you cannot go anywhere.
So, I have to start from that foundation
that I was born in Cuba then, I'm Caribbean
, and then I'm Latino, and then I'm Afro
Cuban. And if I have to define some way I
will define myself as Afro Cuban.
I will -- I don't like to be defined.
And I define myself just as a visual artist,
and then I bring everything together because
I have a universe in my -- in my mind, and
you are dreaming and you are flying and you
don't have limitation inside of you.
So, inside of me is everything.
I mean, I belong to every culture.
I belong to the planet.
So, the end of my message is like, "we are
all connected." That's.
That's the end of everything.