Interview: Miguel Raymond
Luca Curci talks with Miguel Raymond, honourable mention of ITSLIQUID International Contest – 15th edition.

Miguel Raymond graduated in Communication from the University of Quebec in Montreal and also trained in special effects at the Graphic Institute of Technology in Tokyo. In the 80s, Miguel Raymond quickly forged an enviable reputation as a video artist, director and editor. For nearly 40 years, he has created and contributed to a wide variety of works and has won several awards both in Canada and abroad. His passion and creativity have allowed him to explore several artistic genres. From stage work to installations, from fiction to documentary, from live performance to video, his artwork is integral to the emergence of the digital art scene in Canada. Miguel Raymond is an artist and independent director. He has signed experimental productions such as “Un dia en la vida” and “Prélude à la Lune” which obtained several international awards since 2022. In 2023, he created an art film called “Cycle of Life”, which is composed of the 4 seasons of life and nature, and which also obtained several international awards.

Luca Curci – What is art for you?
Miguel Raymond – Art is liberty. Liberty to think, liberty to imagine. It is a way to explore new venues, and new ideas that are different from mainstream vision. It is a space to exist that is only ours, that enables us to communicate our innermost feelings. Art is a language without words.

LC – What are you currently working on?
MR – I am working on an installation called “Seshimori-ishi: The Right Path”. Based on a traditional Japanese trade of the Seshimori-ishi stop stone in Japanese gardens, which means do not enter or please stay on the right path, I am applying this in opposition to our fragility as humans. I hope to find the funds and a gallery to make it a reality.

LC – Which artists have somehow influenced your work?
MR – I think that the artist that influenced me most is the great Korean artist Nam June Paik who is, for me, the creator of video art. I also admire Ólafur Elíasson, Bill Viola, Yayoi Kusama, and Japanese art in general.

LC – How is being an artist nowadays?
MR – For me, it is the basis of who I am, it comes naturally. But, it is also very difficult to stand out due to the sheer amount of art being presented online.

LC – Is there an unrealized or unrealisable project, even a crazy one, that you would like to work on?
MR – I would like very much to present my art film “Cycle of Life” in an immersive installation form, in a museum or a gallery. It was my intention from the start of my project.

LC – What do you think about ITSLIQUID Platform?
MR – It is exactly what I needed. A platform specialised in contemporary art to showcase my work and discover new artists.