Ok Natalia, so let's start with the basics. Where were are you from? I’m from Mexico City, Mexico
Tell me a little about your childhood and I don't mean that in a Sigmund Freud kind of way...just trying to get some background about your life: I lived most of my life in Mexico City and was lucky to spend three years of my childhood in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with my family. I have two sisters: Luciana, who now works in forestry management and various projects involving conservancy in Mexico, and Melisa, who is an architect and mother of my two dear nephews.
I come from a family of artists and designers for many generations, going back to my great grandparents who migrated to America from Europe.
My father was born in Argentina and he is an architect and a doctor in education.
My mother is a photographer from Veracruz.
My aunt Liliana Porter, who lives in New York, is a wonderful artist and also my mentor.
Where did you go to school? What did you study?I received my BFA in Industrial Design in Mexico at UAM-X, which is the second largest public university in Mexico. I moved to New York in 2000 and received a Master's at Pratt for Industrial Design on a scholarship from the National Council for Science and Technology in Mexico. I then studied a MFA in sculpture at CUNY – Queens College, where I graduated in 2007.
That's amazing. So what did you do after you graduated with a degree in Industrial Design?I worked as an art assistant for Janet Zweig in public art comissions. Simultaneously, I continued working on my own art and established a jewelry design company called Wits Productions, with my colleague Allison Schlegel. I am no longer working with Allison but I am working with my sister Melisa Porter, to expand the business and begin producing our collection in Mexico. My jewelry has been sold at the MOMA store in NY, and in many other stores worldwide.
Wow, so you started your own jewelry company and at the same time got another Master's degree in but this time in fine art. That is a lot of work to balance both school and your own company. Interesting name. How did you decide on a name like Wits Productions. Does it have it have any significance for you? The definition of Wits is the ability to combine two things that seem to be opposites, but in a humorous way. I like making jewelry that has a sense of humor, that tells a story and that is more than just a beautiful thing. I usually work with found objects that I transform into something else. One of my latest necklaces is a small ladder that hangs down your chest.
Nicely put. Sounds very witty. You are a sculptor as well as a designer. You have another piece which consists of tiny wooden staircase, which spirals from the floor to the ceiling. I find it interesting that you choose this imagery and use it in both your jewelry and your sculpture. What inspires you to create your art? It's hard to pinpoint what it is exactly that inspires me, I guess everything does, as well as the people that surround me. I usually work by collecting objects and then transforming them, hoping to assign them new meanings, or readings. I guess one of my favorite sculptures is a hair brush that instead of having bristles has really long hair (human hair) that comes out of its handle, titled “hair brush”. I like this because it becomes a nonfunctional object that makes reference to itself (its purpose) as well as to the person using it. It is funny. Another example is a ring inspired by a toy that I found in gumball machine. It was a little plastic ball with rubber spikes all over it, a party favor. I reutilized that form and cast it in metal. By doing this, I created a new object.
I love to collect little toys. My whole apartment is filled with toys and interesting found objects, I guess I inherited this from my grandfather who was an art and antique collector. As for the staircase, I am inspired by the challenge of creating a sound structural object. I spent my whole life in construction sites with my father, surrounded by building materials and to me incredible structures.
I guess it’s inevitable for my artwork and my jewelry work to be informed by one another. I guess everything I do is a version of the same thing: me.
Since I do not have a degree in jewelry, the process of creating jewelry is something I made up. I use materials that are not commonly used for making jewelry and I do not use traditional processes to create them. I combine materials like rubber, fabric, plastic with more precious materials such as silver or brass.
Your curiosity for finding objects and repurposing them combined with the experience that you had growing up as an architects daughter, has given you inspiration for creating sculpture and wearable art. Do you also feel that there is another layer of meaning to the concept of a staircase? Sometimes while in the process of making art, we notice that we are subconciously telling a story about ourselves. Do you see how the staircase might have some spiritual signifcance for you? Yes, I see my staircase as a metaphor for the process of rebuilding a life, and of creating an escape for myself. ( I made it soon after separating from my ex-husband). The process of attaching a step after another was calming and meditative, that finally formed a very interesting structure. Unfortunately this piece got broken, but I then rebuild a version of it in bronze (an unbreakable bronze).
Most of my artwork is labor intensive, and very crafty. I realize the process of making my work is more important to me than the actual result. And that is why I do not mind taking so much time into making each piece. I find my work to be very Mexican, but not in a traditional way. It is informed by the labor intensive quality of Mexican crafts, and Mexican lives.
Who is your favorite artist?Oh hmm. That's tough. Definitely inspired by Tom Friedman. I love Cornelia Parker but I guess I am mostly inspired by my aunt Liliana.
You described your jewelry as humorous, fun and conceptual. How else would you describe your overall style? My work is a combination of art and design. As a designer I tend to plan and think things thoroughly before starting to work. Because of this my work reads as being organized. It is definitely intricate. I like to describe it as being intimate. By intimate, I mean you really have to get close to the object (or drawing) in order to see it.
Are you still working as designer in addition to your jewelry business and fine art? Yes, I am working as a designer at a company that specializes in textiles.
Lovely, Natalia! It has been a pleasure. You are a very busy and talented artist. Keep it up and keep us posted on your upcoming sales and art shows. I will be selling my jewelry this and every other Sunday at the Old American Can Factory in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Please stop by!
http://www.xoprojects.com/market.html
WITS PRODUCTIONS: http://www.witsproductions.com
natalia@witsproductions.com
425 Central Park West
APT 3C, NY, NY 10025
