Interview: Beatriz Blousson
Luca Curci talks with Beatriz Blousson during CONTEMPORARY VENICE 2021, at THE ROOM Contemporary Art Space.

Photography is a way of capturing the literal world in front of us, while our imagination allows us to capture the invisible. I am a visual artist and my passion is to build new images combining photographs taken over the years with the representations in my mind, mixing realism with illusion and humor. I use photography not to discover reality, but to build a new one, my mind guides me in the process of creating “Impossible realities”, images that don’t exist but look realistic, and help me convey my message. During this pandemic, I resumed an old project from five years ago “Crystal Zoo” in which I represented a world where animals walked freely through the city observing human beings, who lived trapped in a confinement generated by their own lifestyle and ambitions. I am adding to this series photos in which iconic places such as the Brooklyn Bridge, the Louvre or the Trevi Fountain are visited by animals that feel free to walk and enjoy in the absence of humans. With humor I try to show the need for us to learn how to share our world with them, respecting them and without displacing them.

Luca Curci – How did you get to photography? Do you remember why you took your first professional photo?
Bea Blousson – I started professionally with photography while I was working at an animal Park. Taking photographs for the calendars, postcards and posters sold in the merchandising shops. I spent hundreds of hours looking at the animals, waiting for them to “pose” for me. Sometimes they looked at me but they were not in the right place or I couldn’t see their tail…That is how I started with Photoshop and I loved it!

LC – How much is the editing process important? How’s yours?
BB – For me, it is the most important part, I spend a lot of time in it and I love it. I love to see all the possibilities, trying different techniques to reach different results and bring my ideas to life.

LC – What is your creative process like?
BB – I usually start with a message I want to convey, something that reaches me while observing people around me. Once I know what I want to say ideas start building up in my mind. I always work with my own photographs, I don’t use stock images. If I don’t have the photographs I need to create the image I take them and then I start compositing.

LC – Do you use art to express something in particular? Is it like your medium of expression?
BB – Yes, absolutely. I have different series of photographs, each one with a different message, “Cellsabsorbed” for example is about how people pay so much attention to their cellphones than to what is happening around them “I cry for you Argentina” reflects the very sad reality in my country, and how newspapers can make us feel.

LC – Which is the role the artist plays in society? And contemporary art?
BB – Through their creations, artists transmit not only emotions but also messages, that help us reflect on our existence, social problems or life in general. Contemporary art is very important as a means of communication and social criticism.

LC – In which way the artwork presented in our exhibition is connected with the festival’s theme?
BB – The fact that this artwork was created based on the quarantine we are living in, trying to show that we must be doing something wrong as humans if animals are the only ones that can walk around free. We must rethink the way we treat the earth and our lifestyle.

LC – Can you explain something about the artworks you have in our exhibition?
BB – These two pieces show animals having a good time while “Humans are at home”. Enjoying the Trevi Fountain or shopping at Louis Vuitton in New York.

LC – What do you think about the organization of our event?
BB – Everyone was very kind and helpful!

LC – Would you suggest a collaboration with us? What do you think about our services?
BB – Yes, I think it is a great opportunity

LC – Do you think ITSLIQUID GROUP can represent an opportunity for artists?
BB – It is a very good opportunity for artists to show their work, to reach people we can’t reach on our own.