Interview: Jose Ignacio Hernández
Luca Curci talks with Jose Ignacio Hernández during OUT OF BALANCE, second appointment of CANVAS Art Fair 2020, at THE LINE Contemporary Art Space in London.

I started about 25 years ago studying a professional photography course, in my hometown of San Sebastián, Spain. Later, I made several monographs on lighting, fashion and advertising in Madrid and Barcelona. I moved to Barcelona in 2000 and have been an assistant for 2 years. In 2002 I returned to San Sebastián and started working for advertising agencies and publishing houses, combining with teaching at the Basque Institute of Photography. In 2016 I opened my studio “Galerna Studio” and continue with personal projects with architecture and the human being as the basis of my work.

Luca Curci – What is art for you?
Jose Ignacio Hernández – For me, art is passion, feeling, sensitivity, expression, need…

LC – What’s your background? What is the experience that has influenced your work the most?
JIH – I started with photography about 25 years ago, but from a very young age I became interested in the image. I tried to draw and paint, but the camera has always been the means by which I can express myself best. I started out in the press working for agencies and publishers, which forged my experience as a photographer.

LC – What is your creative process like?
JIH – My creative process starts from an idea, a concept that I am developing and shaping, even if it can vary a lot until its conclusion. At first I was interested in the report and the human element in its environment, I watched and photographed. Now I am more interested in the creative process, I don’t look for the photo without creating it, I make a transition from idea to realization.

LC – How is being an artist nowadays?
JIH – The creative process takes a lot of time and effort, which I think is not proportional to the benefits obtained. Although digital platforms lately, due to the current situation are facilitating the vision of our work, it is very difficult to translate them into sales.

LC – What is the message linked to the artwork you have shown in this exhibition? How is it connected to the theme of the entire festival?
JIH – The two works that I present in the exhibition are part of my work “HUMANOPOLIS”, which consists of 16 images that reconstruct the city through the intervention of the naked body of a man with the urban space, penetrating the skin as a human limit and crossing the surface as an urban boundary, the boundaries of the body with the boundaries of the city to create a boundless mind and an open city. I believe that the work I present is linked to the theme of the festival, identity and the human body.

LC – Do you agree with our vision of art and what do you think about the theme of the festival?
JIH – I find it a very interesting and current topic, especially in these times.

LC – Do you think ITSLIQUID GROUP can represent an opportunity for artists?
JIH – ITSLIQUID GROUP is a great opportunity to make our work known to the world and to interact with more artists. I liked the direct and sincere relationships you have with the artist. Your experience and your trajectory are evident.

LC – Did you enjoy cooperating with us?
JIH – It is an honor and a pleasure to have been able to be part of ITSLIQUID GROUP; I hope our relationship will last a long time.