Clara Cebrián
WORDS & INTERVIEW. CARLOS ÁLVAREZ. PHOTOGRAPHY. GERAY MENA
Clara Cebrián is a multidisciplinary artist born in Madrid, Spain. She combines painting, drawing, animation and video in her work, thereby creating a world of her own and a particular artistic language. Her works are like short narratives, sudden ideas or memories of the past, which she combines with both contemporary tools and other, more traditional ones such as textile design or ceramics.
Clara has a BA in Design for Interaction and Moving Image from the London College of Communication, as well as a Master’s degree from the “university of life”, which she applies to show the world in a magical, special way. Clara loves secrets, lies, memories of the past and small details. That is the magic of the stories she tells through her work. She likes to work on distinct and specific topics whose starting points are themes that can be understood by all kinds of people.
“When I was a child, I wanted to work on a production line in a factory. The idea of repeatedly doing the same was soothing to me.“
She seeks to offer us her ideas through intentionally simple procedures that move our attention towards the everyday and the ordinary, which she transforms into the extraordinary and something capable of captivating all our interest. She denies that there is any barrier that separates art from everyday life, that there are distances between an artist and someone who does not see themself that way. Her references are those coming from her experiences and relationships, and her main influences come from contemporaneity, social networks and the Internet in general.
Your works are like short narratives, sudden ideas, memories of the past, fleeting feelings. What inspires you?
It’s difficult for me to express myself. Translating my train of thought into words is not an easy task, because my thoughts don’t move linearly the way sentences do. I could describe it like being in a big a building full of apartments, where different things are happening all at once: conversations and actions are going on at the same time, one of top of each other, in different rooms and floors. But not only are there people in this building, there are other narratives to be read: water is running through the pipes, there are empty apartments full of silence and stillness and the sun is shining through the windows.
All these layers existing in my mind while I’m painting are reflected in the piece, with different background colours, involuntary strokes in textures, figurative details and words. So painting becomes a tool for concentrating the activity of a disperse mind into something specific, something that doesn’t vanish along the way, rather it remains as a material object.
Can you tell me about your first experiences with art, as far back as you can remember?
I remember before the Internet, you didn’t have access to the infinite visual world, where you could quickly connect between a picture you like and a hundred thousand similar references. Discovery was more mysterious, like being a treasure hunter. I remember being fascinated by the illustrations of some children’s books I have at home, with infinite details of interiors in the background, where you could always find something new.
Do you remember what you wanted to be when you were a child?
I wanted to work on a production line in a factory. The idea of repeatedly doing the same was soothing to me.
And now? What would you like to be when you’re old?
I wish I could become someone who had built a landscape where it feels pleasant to live and paint. Near nature and close to friends.
What do you know now that you wish you had known when you started painting?
I wish I knew that I would need to be as constant as a stalactite. Also that I would have to keep an eye out for my worst enemy, myself. That inner voice trying to convince me that it isn’t worth the effort because I’m not talented enough, that I should prioritize any daily task over painting, consequently making me loose so much time over doubting whether or not I’m heading in the right direction. I wish I knew that then, but now I know that I have to keep reminding myself to be constant and to slowly, slowly continue advancing every day.
Is there a piece, or are there multiple pieces, that you consider to be the beginning of your work?
I was given the opportunity to do my first solo exhibition right after getting my degree. I had done my thesis on bullfighting, so I decided to do a body of work on this theme. It was a series of photographs and video intertwined with painting. You can see how my style has developed since then, but you can also clearly recognize some elements that remain in my paintings 10 years later.
What did you do during the pandemic?
I was in a hotel in Baja California with my partner, who was going to give a concert, but everything got cancelled and the hotel where we were staying had to close because of the pandemic. The owners where amazing and allowed us to stay the 4 months during which lockdown lasted. There were 5 of us in this huge hotel, with infinity pools, palm trees and an incredible ocean view. We slept in room 144, and I painted in room 209, where I created more than 50 pieces in the small space between the window and the bed. After a few weeks I bought a scooter and rode every day on incredible dessert roads next to the Sea of Cortez, where I could see whales. It was the first time I’d lived close to nature, and I finally understood how good this was for me. One fun anecdote from this experience is that I made a song together with the musicians staying at the hotel, called “KEY CARD”. You can find it in Spotify.
Are your days mostly about making art, or do you do other things?
I feel that I only invest about 5% of my time in actually making pieces. The other 95% of my time is spent on creating an environment where I will be able to make those pieces.
Any tradition or hobby that you’ll never leave behind?
Golf.
I’m a big fan of your animations. I understand that they involve a lot of work. What do they mean to you?
Animation was how I discovered painting. I love to do repetitive tasks where I don’t have to think a lot, just do. Also, animations make me especially happy when, after having been drawing for several hours, you press play, and you can see your creation moving. I really encourage people to try animation. It doesn’t require as much technical skill as people think, just a lot of patience.
I’ve seen a lot of photos from your studio on Instagram. How did you end up in such a unique place?
I was living in Colombia but needed a cheap place to store things in Madrid. I went to see this warehouse with my friend Pia, who’s an architect. We started planning some very simple works to remodel the place because it had been closed for so long. Then the plan slowly started becoming more complex, and the space ceased to be a storage place. Our excitement just grew, and without planning it, we ended up making a very unique studio, with a hanging bed and plenty of space to work.
Tell me about a couple of curious anecdotes that’ve happened to you lately. One that’s true and one that’s not. Don’t tell us which is which.
During the pandemic in Baja California, I used to paddle surf every day at a little beach where the hotel had all kinds of fun water toys. It was very common at that time of the year to see manta rays jumping out of the water. It’s part of their mating ritual. A beautiful spectacle. One day I was paddling into the ocean, and some mantas started jumping very close to my board. It was a bit scary, but nothing new. Then suddenly I saw what looked like a shark fin. I just panicked, there all alone. I stayed very, very still until they moved away from me a bit, and then I paddled back to shore like there was no tomorrow!
I was in the tube in London, where Ihadtogofromonesideofthe city to the other on the District line. After about 20 minutes, I became so absorbed in my own thoughts that forgot I was sitting in the tube. Meanwhile, a woman next to me had set down her purse, which looked very fluffy, made of fur, like a stuffed toy. I felt the urge to touch it, to see how it felt. I did it very naturally, like when you pet a dog on the street. The owner panicked, because she thought I wanted to steal something from her bag. It was impossible for me to explain to her that I just wanted to feel the fur in my hands. I tried, but it was impossible.