Mario Rodriguez | "Matter Condenses into Light"

theFOUND Virtual Art Center this TALK with Mario Rodriguez. A sculptor, installation artist and architect from Mexico. Mareo Rodriguez's works are full of natural features: mountains, rocks, waves, lava. His inspiration comes from nature, the changing landscape of mountains, the condensation of light and the process of energy transformation and expansion over time.

He said: "matter condenses into light", which is called the process of energy conversion and expansion over time. His works move like tectonic plates, depicting the beautiful power of the earth. "We are light, energy, condensed in the body, experiencing the material world through matter, so as to evolve in our consciousness."

Mario Rodriguez is good at using complex and changeable light to combine materials, nature and space to create a dynamic installation art. The rock surface of his work fluctuates and layers with the passage of time, showing a dreamlike tension in the narrative visual language. Mario Rodriguez has a unique artistic style and has a great influence in the art world. His creation is out of respect for nature, abstracting the natural landscape and exploring the concepts of light, matter, frequency and gravity in physics, so as to explain the understanding of the relationship between minerals and the universe, man and nature, man and spatial structure.

Mario Rodriguez's latest series of the NFT digital collection is sold on the SuperRare chain, and discussed with us his interpretation of artistic creation and human life under the future trend of the Metaverse virtual world.

Mario Rodriguez's works have been collected by private collectors in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Peru, Argentina, Italy, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Austria, Switzerland, Japan and Singapore.

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Q&A

theFOUND & Mario Rodriguez

Q1:

How did you decide to use minerals and rocks as the main elements of your creation? How did this inspiration come about?

My first approach to art was through the appreciation of the sublime of the landscape, I was always surrounded by the Andes mountain range, which is the mountain range that gives axis to the South American continent, I grew up in Medellin, a city built in a valley surrounded by these majestic mountains; Then I went deeper and took more aspects of the landscape that fascinated me and there on the closest scale I found textures, lavas, natural phenomena inherent to the mineral kingdom and of course the stone as a fractal unit and memory of the earth.

Q2:

What kind of relationship do you want your visitors to build with your Artworks?

As you say, my work is a tribute to nature and with it many questions arise, concerns about physical phenomena, geological formations, the physical laws that govern it, the states of matter and their transformation.

There is a component that interests me that the spectators feel and it is the divine presence, and the connections and memories of the soul through that sublime that is felt in the contact with nature; I am interested in a relationship of recollection, introspection, immersion, I am interested in touching the soul of people through my art and transmitting light to them.

Q3：

You said "matter is the condensation of light". Which is a very interesting point of view. Can you explain how you understand the relationship between "matter" and "light"?

I consider the existence of this material plane as a cluster of vibrations, of frequencies, that are densified and materialized, we are light, energy, condensed in a body to experience the physical world through matter and thus evolve in our consciousness.

Q4:

"Everything has cracks". This concept is expressed in many places in your works. Can you tell us the meaning of these cracks you call "Portals"?

The crack arises in a very natural way in my work, since it is a line that was unconsciously repeated in several series, and what interests me the most is that it synthesizes in a very subtle way the essence of my work; although the fissure is found on many surfaces, in my case the crack of the rock formations; It is also connected with the wound, with that fissure that we all carry inside, what is interesting is the possibility that that wound, that fissure becomes through vulnerability, its recognition in the door of healing, filling it with light. "Your wound is the door to your healing"

Q5:

How do you think your early architectural education influenced your creation? Can you share with us who is your art enlightener?

Although I have had the influence of different artists, my greatest influence will always be and will be Nature and my spiritual experience; everything I need is there, it's just a matter of being attentive to details and signs.

On the other hand, the influence of architecture is also very present, using in some cases geometry as a tool to understand space, section the territory, the ability to abstract and minimize the essence of the concept I want to explore, the choice of materials, and the subtlety of how they are used, constructive systems for the installations –all this mental aspect is undoubtedly marked by 15 years of experience in architecture. It is also complemented by the organicism of my relationship with nature - that is the emotional, visceral and spiritual part.

Q6:

Your work is full of natural features: mountains, rocks, lava... What interesting things and difficulties did you encounter in exploring and studying these natural landforms and types?

My work, as I mentioned before, starts from direct contact through the senses with nature and the mineral kingdom; I always discover new things, the amount of information there is infinite, and in each trip, each country and landscape that I travel I find the wonders that surprise me and in that dialogue the new series are born.

Q7:

The world of Metaverse has arrived and your NFTS are on the "SupeRare". What do you think of encryption art, virtual world and NFT? How does it affect your creation?

My approach to the world of digital art began a few years ago with the renderings that I use to conceive the installations, then I had the opportunity to do video mapping collaborations of the Islamic art festival in the United Arab Emirates, I think the use of technology for immersive experiences and energize the art market is great.

On the other hand despite technology gives us the possibility of expanding our physical limits and connecting in an incredible, almost telepathic way, I also believe that a real connection with our nature is necessary and not get caught up in the virtual network all the time, the film “Matrix” seems almost prophetic. ; A balance will always be necessary so as not to forget our human condition.

Q8:

What areas do you want to continue to try and explore, or what areas do you want to challenge in the future?

I am very happy with the direction my career is taking at the moment, as I have found the balance between artistic and institutional development with the commercial part that allows me to continue exploring and growing.

I have just opened an exhibition in Malta in an incredible space where I had the opportunity to do several installations, alongside sculpture and painting.

Next year I plan an exhibition in New York in the month of March and have been invited to the art triennial in Istanbul, Turkey.