La narración escondida / The hidden narration (Entrevista a Susana Solano)

R.- No, el viaje está en uno mismo. No es cuestión de coger el avión e irte a Nueva York o a Berlín. La sensibilización de sí mismo está en las pequeñas cosas. Puede obtenerse de una buena película, por ejemplo. Es también una cuestión de energías. Hay días que le "chupan" a uno la energía. Sale uno a la calle y tiene una discusión con alguien, o ve algo desagradable. O va a una cena aburrida. Eso te arrebata la energía. En cambio, si uno escoge, o puede escoger -en ocasiones no se puede-, y acierta con una actividad, eso te carga de energía, y puedes trasladar ésta a tu trabajo. Es como sentirte bien, sentirte viva, y sentir que puedes aportar algo. Creo que la vida nos la tenemos que construir.

P.- ¿Siente que su obra es comprometida?

R.- Hay compromisos que fluctúan y otros que permanecen. Los que permanecen los tienes desde muy joven. No pienso hablar de cuáles son mis compromisos, pero supongo que en el desarrollo de esta entrevista se pueden detectar algunos. Hay, en todo caso, intereses inamovibles, cosas que voy a defender siempre.

P.- ¿Qué piensa del gobierno catalán tripartito?

R.- Hay que dejarles margen. Todavía están construyendo, como los artistas... Son artistas jóvenes.

Susana Solano is the most renowned Spanish sculptor abroad. Not at all surprising in view of her exceptional output. Solano appeared on the artistic scene in the 80s and immediately positioned herself as an option for the effective renovation of sculptural work in metal, which had been favoured before decisively by Julio González and Picasso, then by David Smith and Anthony Caro. The favourable reception of Solano's proposals became apparent at events like Kassel's Documenta and the São Paulo and Venice biennials, and the sculptor went on to display her work at the best museums, art centres and galleries in the world. Her latest sculptural proposals have recently been shown in Madrid, at the Helga de Alvear gallery, where we were able to talk to her about sculpture and drawing, and her interest in video, as well as her intense ties to Africa and her concern for the present situation, marked by a disturbing aesthetical drift.

Question.- Perhaps we should start by talking about the titles of the works you displayed at the Helga de Alvear Gallery. The titles of the mural pieces, for example.

Answer.- The three mural pieces are entitled Huella desnuda que mirar (Naked footprint to be contemplated). I used footprints as my starting point, yet, evidently, the starting point is transformed when you manipulate it, when you work with it. Consequently, that starting point becomes somewhat diluted. It is still there, but in a different way; in a narrative way. The piece that was displayed on the floor is called Duna (Dune). The Tuaregs call dunes edehi . It is a landscape, but... well, I'm not going to tell you about it!

Q.- I wanted to know what moves you to select these titles...

A.- The title comes a posteriori, depending on what the work makes me think of. Sometimes there is a deeper relationship; others there is not. The title is only a means to designate the piece.

Q.- So the title does not offer any clues...

A.- Sometimes it does, but I think one has to interpret them bearing in mind the ambiguity of the work.

Q.- That exhibition also incorporated a piece that resembled a cage.

A.- Yes, it was a sort of cage, a bastion or a ship, depending on who was looking at it. It is called No se el teu nom , which in Catalan means: "I don't know your name." That's it, I don't.

Q.- What about the video?

A.- Once again the title is in Catalan, Con noms , meaning: "With names." I think it approaches a universal topic: we see a dog licking some plans, in a world that is in the midst of a crisis regarding ethical sensitivity. It refers to all the problems that exist in the world, not just to one specific problem. I did start off from a specific problem, but I would rather not pinpoint it.

Q.- Why keep it to yourself?

A.- I think art should preserve ambiguity. Since, if as well as creating the work, one also gives the clues, spectators do not have to make an effort. That's why I'm interested in ambiguity; I prefer to keep it there.

Q.- Nevertheless, does that piece refer to passion?

A.- Passion? I would say it's a piece...

Q.- About compassion?

A.- ...About the official governments that legally exert their power. We are talking about conflicts, organised crime...

Q.- How has a sculptor like you got caught up in the adventure of making video?

A.- I think this is my fifth video, and I have only shown it a couple of times. I think that, in the end, these videos have a symbolism. Perhaps the message they contain is more suited to that audiovisual resource, to that instrument. There are things I cannot transfer to sculpture or drawing.

Q.- Could this, possibly, refer to an attempt to exceed the expressive limits that deter sculpture?

A.- Not so much the limits of sculpture, I would say the limits of thinking. The same applies to photographs. There is no deviation from reality, since you select an image, with all its attributes, right? You choose something that exists out there, and you determine it by submitting it to your particular vision. In the image realm, video allows me to use another narration, one that is vaster; one that incorporates the time factor.

Q.- It allows a "vaster" narration? Is sculpture also a narration?

A.- Yes, but a hidden one. I think it is more hermetic. Spectators have to make a greater effort. Yet, the important thing is to get spectators involved, to make them determine the content. This can sometimes coincide with what the artist devised originally, yet others it does not. The important thing is involvement. I think this can be applied to all arts: music, theatre, cinema...

Q.- Yet, that determination to not reveal the meaning of the work, to maintain a hidden message concealed between its creases, doesn't that leave the spectator out?

A.- It could, but, once again, spectators have to make an effort to approach the work. People who start to become interested in contemporary art usually find that the first approaches are quite hard, they have to look very closely. It's like listening to music, it requires an effort; in the same way that the artist has to make a great effort to create the work. In the end, we all have that same need to make an effort and to show interest. Or passion... Especially that, the tendency we have to appreciate art.

Q.- Moving on to a different matter, where does your interest in Africa come form? When did you start your affair with this continent?

A.- In Africa I find a different rhythm. When I am there, I have notably more capacity to be surprised by the people and the landscape. You know, there are also personal reasons... Which I would rather not go into. I can say that my relationship with Africa started about 18 years ago, I went there as a tourist. Whenever I come back I say: "That was my last trip," but then, after some time, I feel the need to be there again.

Q.- What country did you visit first?

A.- I think it was Guinea-Bissau. I started out visiting the states with the weakest economies. Sometimes in groups, others on my own.

Q.- Why have you focused on studying Zaire, the former Belgian Congo?