Every year for the past 18 years, Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill has brought in some of the biggest names in the encaustic art medium to speak, present their work, and offer workshops and seminars in its annual International Encaustic Conference. This year, the keynote speaker for the conference is Esperanza Cortés, a multidisciplinary artist whose work speaks of her Colombian heritage and the issues around transcultural identity as she is based in New York City, arguably the most diverse and culturally complex city in the world.
She has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions all over the world, including exhibitions in New York and Washington, D.C., and in Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Japan, Mexico, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Spain, and Greece and has received awards for her work from New York State Council on the Arts, John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, Hispanic Society Museum, Puffin Foundation, Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, and many many others. She took a few moments to talk about her work, the appeal of the encaustic medium, as well as the role of art in society today.
Provincetown Magazine: I know you work in various media. How were you introduced to encaustics and what do you enjoy about that medium?
Esperanza Cortés: I began to work in encaustic painting in my twenties. I was influenced by experimental artists like Brice Marden, Jasper Johns, and Lynda Benglis, as well as the stunning ancient encaustic art from Egypt, Greece, and Rome. I love working with a material that has historical resonance and beauty. I consider my early encaustic creations as my first truly original artworks.
PM: In art history we learn about art from a kind of monocultural perspective (e.g. Egyptian art; French Impressionism; etc.) but today many artists like yourself are transcultural and transnational. For you, what role does your cultural heritage play in the work you make?
EC: Being a Colombian-born artist, my work is really about exploring my cultural background – things like our traditions, rituals, music, and dance. I also look closely at the long-lasting impact of colonialism. I want my art to be a place where both individual and shared memories can live, bringing hidden stories to light and questioning the usual narratives we hear. I use all sorts of materials to talk about complex issues in ways that are both beautiful and thought-provoking, and I often hint at the human body. By mixing handmade and reworked found objects, I try to bring cultural symbols to life. Ultimately, my goal is for my art to be a kind of archive for our memories, challenging the stories that are usually told.
PM: I understand you also have a background in dance. Do you see a relationship between your work as an artist in dance and as one in visual art?
EC: As a former Afro-Latin dancer, physicality informs my practice. Movements, rhythms, and spatial awareness related to my dance experience directly influence my work. There is a sort of translation and spontaneity of choreographical dynamics into the structure and arrangements of my visual work. My dance experience is not separate from my visual art but rather an integral and foundational aspect of it. It influences themes, methods, and my overall artistic vision.
PM: What do you plan to talk about in your keynote lecture at the International Encaustic Conference?
EC: I plan to talk about my trajectory as an artist, beginning with encaustic paintings and culminating with recent encaustic mixed media works. I will discuss the creative explorations I have made during my travels to various places. Working with encaustics has always provided me with a place of contemplation, as well as engagement with surface, color, and the evident presence of the hand within the artwork.
PM: If you weren’t an artist, is there any other field you think you would have pursued?
EC: My late father possessed not merely an appreciation, but a profound and deeply felt passion for music. His discerning ear was attuned to the nuances and intricacies of various genres. At family gatherings, he would regale us with songs and operas that he loved. When I reflect upon my childhood, the most cherished and vivid recollections are invariably intertwined with the melodies that filled our home. My father’s enthusiasm fostered within me a deep connection to sound and rhythm. It is not unreasonable to imagine that, under slightly different circumstances, I might have pursued a vocation as an ethnomusicologist.
PM: In these difficult times we are living through, what do you think is the role of the artist?
EC: I believe that the role of an artist is, and has been, to explore and expose injustices. We have to raise critical questions to complicated issues and encourage viewers to consider social and political portrayals that erase, exclude, and villainize vulnerable communities. The current administration is challenging the ethical and aspirational boundaries of this nation, impacting its global image as a proponent of democratic principles. The artist’s role is to bear witness and amplify society’s concerns with the aim of finding solutions. I want my art to speak and inform future generations.
Esperanza Cortés is the keynote speaker at the 18th Annual International Encaustic Conference, which runs May 30 – June1 and is presented by Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill at Edgewood Farm, 3 Edgewood Way, Truro. Cortés will speak at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 31. For information about all conference events and registration, call 508.349.7511 or visit castlehill.org.
–Rebecca M. Alvin
