This episode with my friend Alejandro is some real talk all the way through. The episode is very much about both mental health and levity. Dark as his art may be, there is a very bright and positive attitude and message with the work behind it all.
We don’t really beat around the bush on this episode, and Alejandro gets straight into some really deep and personal experiences right from the start. He outlines the influences in his art, including reasons for taking a big break for a while. I a relatable breakdown of a tug of war between getting started with things, and losing the flow and stopping.
It’s tough to hold on sometimes. Especially for artists. As always, being connected with communities tends to be instrumental in bringing artists back. This appears to have been the case with Alejandro as well. In our case we met through the digital art scene on Twitter.
Now while we met over “dark art” (which is what Transmissions from the Void was about at the beginning, on Twitter), and my perception of it has shifted in the last few years, it’s appropriate that we connected over it because we have some pretty dark places where our art comes from.
I would like to believe that almost every artist out there has an internal, deeply personal struggle, as well as some influence(s) that determine what they are doing with their art. Alejandro is not reluctant to dive deep into either of these roots, and from formative years to later in life, he lays out a fascinating story.
From seeing art, to seeing beautiful things in churches, both art and religion had a heavy impact on him at a very young age. Even though he perceived an incongruity between belief systems and individuality early on, he did not fully de-tether himself from it. Eventually, the biggest influence in his work I got to know him for; sleep paralysis, came into his life. And unsurprisingly, his initial thought was that he was being visited by angels and demons.
Wild stuff, but also completely understandable, given the impact religion had on his life prior to these experiences he started to have between waking and sleeping states. He digs deeper into his experiences, and it’s not just spooky stuff - it’s a really eye opening look into how something so strange can shape somebody’s physicality and mental states.
What is real though? There are a lot of experiences that different folks have historically had throughout their lives, and the similarities across them beg the question of whether they are real or just hallucinations. In the case of Alejandro’s work, he is depicting creatures that blur the lines of what he experienced, and where his creative flow takes him. And while art can come from dark places, it’s also liberating how it can take us out of them.
One of my favorite things about some of Alejandro’s work has always been how chiseled some of his details appear. I was not disappointed to find out that he is into the the visual structure of things, and how he actually wants to explore the edges/surface/tactility of things IRL. When he gave the example of wanting to work with wood, it made my day.
We just kind of keep going from there. We cover everything from creative process, to digital vs fine arts, also we also dive into neurodivergence and mental health. The other side of that discussion lands us in a discussion about coping mechanisms, so it’s only appropriate that we talk about NFTs a bit - mostly because the space has some really toxic behavior that has affected the mental state of artists in drastically negative ways.
The positive side of this is the opportunities artists were presented with, as well as the communities we built. I mean, I met Alejandro though that scene, so that’s a great plus. Among the many things about that scene we discuss, one thing he mentions is “constructed scarcity,” which I think is an incredibly pertinent point. I’ve recently heard from so many artists referring to the “lie” of scarcity, and I think this is an important discussion we should be having across all creative communities.
As usual, I feel like we just scratched the surface during this discussion, and to be perfectly honest, I would love to explore creating a YT channel titled “Goth Bob Ross” with Alejandro. In the meantime, please be sure to check out his work, and maybe consider putting some of his work up on your walls!
Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and be sure to checkout his main website, and the digital marketplaces (Foundation & OBJKT) you can find his work on!
Next week: Bahrull Marta! When I think of dark art I have discovered through the whole NFT rigamarole, Bahrull is one of the first names that comes to mind. Plus, he’s just a super cool person to talk to, so I’m very stoked to share our discussion.
Transmission #34 - Alejandro Diaz