Meet Renata Fernandez | Multidisciplinary Visual Artist

I am a Latinex artist, based in London since 2003, born in Venezuela, daughter of Spanish immigrants.

So I am a double whammy immigrant!

This is of course, a defining aspect of  my identity.

I grew with two cultures: two different ways of speaking and thinking: one inside the home, the other, reserved for outside. This seems to be an obvious fact when growing as an immigrant in a radical different culture and speaking another language (very much like my two children do right now, as they are children  of Hispanic parents growing in London).

Yet as a child and later as a young adult I had clearly defined  cultures that I had to conciliate  despite the fact that we share a language.

Growing like this makes you able to compartmentalised thoughts and actions,  making you extremely adaptable.

I happened to identify strongly with my Caribbean upbringing,  even placing this before me being daughter of Spaniards from the Celtic corner of Spain – the  spiritual and mystic North West, famous also for their extremely hard working people.

As a result of spending the first 25 years of my life – as a first generation Venezuelan –  under the tropical light of the Caribbean  an I am a highly adaptable individual that tends to know and have many skills and be very good at many of them. A proper Jack of all trades, that is a master of none but almost a master of many. This is very Latino aspect of our culture, that knowledgeable  about so many aspects inside your trade or profession that makes you, well, extremely capable and proficient, forward thinking and particularly good at problem solving. That line in Hamilton, the musical, rings true:  we immigrants: we get the job done!

All the above mentioned is reflected  in my practice as an artist, manifesting in artistic expressions that reveal me as multidisciplinary and technically curious.

In my practice I could go from the very crafty as  I try to enhance the materiality of the work, exploring the sculptural possibilities of the piece, to the digital, as I dream to make it in the Metaverse.

My practice goes from painting and drawing to installation  as I tend to explore and develop the inherently sculptural in my works. This translates as paintings that become installative and immersive: in many of my works there is a need for making  the support an crucial element of the painting.

As a Latinex , immigrant artist, that couldn’t buy into the MFA networking in the UK  (for lack of funds and family support) I was always at a clear disadvantage as lacking connections.

This had been a constant struggle for me as I had been “invisible” for years. The must -do MFA is still considered as an essential step for any professional artist  education, as well as launching pad and platform  for “guaranteed” exposure.

All this had been true until pandemic established something that was happening already: that people were voting with the thumbs about what art they connect with and like to support, away from the traditional gatekeepers.

People,  viewers, newly collectors, now are more familiar with the visual codes and tropes of contemporary art. Many,  having been introduced to art through the excellent street art on offer -made by many artists that had also studio practices- are discovering and supporting artist beyond the likes and follows, becoming collectors as they are eager to take risks buying online and often directly from the artist, only to discover that the art in real life is much better… I am not only talking about younger people. Older people are changing their behaviour towards how they approach art and what place art can have in their lives.

From having social media as my only shop window for many years now social media has become a source for new collectors as well as a platform for finding ways to collaborate with other artists. Even gallerists and dealers are reaching out via social media sending me direct messages asking to work together in ambitious projects, showing, and selling my work.

The fast paced  field of crypto art, has amalgamated as the perfect example of this new era of connections: peer to peer support and engagement that is normalising the  artist with agency. This has also become a very important development for me: It fits well with my need to belong and support and being supported -as an artist that happens to be a woman.

We’re also very fortunate to live in the heart of one of the most vibrant areas,  that is so significant to the modern history of London society. We live very near Portobello Market, the original heart of the Caribbean community in London, that happens to be also the first place where Spaniards came to live in the 30s as many were running away from  the Spanish civil war. This area is also the original home for the Portuguese and the Morrocan communities.  All this wonderful, powerful mix makes our area a incredibly colourful, rich and  diverse compound where food is delicious, music is mostly Caribbean and up beat and  the street more often than not becomes the party (Notting Hill Carnival any one?).  During market days one can eat wonders from the award winning food trucks.

Apart of this, London is such a green city, with beautifully tended parks and great playgrounds.

There is always something to do that is free, as art fills the streets while theatre and gigs are just awesome, from long running musicals to independent productions under railway arches. Despite BREXIT and the difficulties of our pandemic life, art goes on.

The public transport is costly but works, double decker busses make do for great affordable tours -when you sit on the top deck, in the front seat!  Museums are free -but donations are encouraged-

There are so many small little museums as well, housing all kinds of most interesting collections, such as the Wellcome Trust, Wallace Collection, the Sloane Museum, the Toy Museum in Fitzrovia or the Automat Museum near Holborn.

Did I mention the food? In London one can eat all kind of cuisines that ever existed, including a few ones invented here!

Of course one can go to China Town and stuff oneself in the Dumpling King, but we recently discovered Misako (Japanese).