Interview
Carolina Ramonde
Carolina Ramonde is an Italo-Uruguayan conceptual artist who specializes in oil paintings inspired by nature, climate change and current events. She likes to intervene in some of her artworks with technology for commercial and artistic purposes. She was born by the sea in the beautiful city of Montevideo, Uruguay. Caro has been studying art in its diverse forms her whole life. She received her first art award at 5 years old. She went on to study Fashion Design at age 15 at Instituto Strasser, Montevideo, and created her first capsule collection when she was 18 yrs. old. Later, she earned a degree as an Interior Designer at Gino Moncalvo Design School. Caro traveled the world with her husband. They lived in Argentina for a few years, where she studied sculpture at Centro Cultural Rojas.
They also lived in Milan, Italy, where her oldest daughter was born. One year later they moved to Porto Alegre, Brazil, and later that year, Caro welcomed her youngest daughter in Montevideo, Uruguay. The family then moved to São Paulo, Brazil, where Caro studied Plastic Arts with a specialization in Painting at ABRA – Academia Brasileira de Arte. A move to Mexico found Caro as part of an art collective that took her paintings to charity auctions, art exhibitions and contests. Then it was on to Buenos Aires, Argentina where Caro continued painting and took part in art exhibitions. Currently, Caro divides her time and artistic creations between Vancouver, NYC and Uruguay where she currently lives.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I have always been an artist, I won my first art contest with 5 years old at the pre-school I was attending. I believe we are born with a different skillset that makes us who we are, learning art in its various forms has always been my passion: painting, drawing, sculpture, interior and fashion designer titles, garden design, 3D-design, photoshop and design programs, master in fine arts at ABRA Brasil. Since some years ago, I belong to art collectives based in NYC. Exhibiting my art first locally and since many years globally, in art fairs, biennials and sometimes virtually. Travelling to the best museums, seen up close the masterpieces of the Masters, visiting ruins of old civilizations has been my passion and it has been gladly shared with my loving family, composed by my late husband and two daughters.”
What inspires you?
“I found inspiration in global events, political and natural events, my inner world, spirituality, nature and what surrounds me. Being authentic is very important, and that creative force gets translated to my creations and the strong brush strokes that are distinctives on my work.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“I have my creations divided in different collections: space, places, spiritual art, climate change, political art, nature, alchemical art, techspressionism where I intervene my artworks with tech. Most of my artworks have an underlying message and are a starting point for conversations. Art must relate the world we are living, what we do and like, and the troubles our world is facing. As an art curator I like to see authenticity and always suggest at my talks to avoid replicating amazing creations of another era because they are most of the time senseless now.”
How would you describe your work?
“Original, my work has been created observing masterpieces first hand, going to lessons for years, the best I could find that suit my individuality and freedom of creation, thinking and creating a path that developed my own style using oil paintings and canvas of the best quality that allows me to leave my distinctive marks and strong brush strokes. My work is very honest, it relates my beliefs, my taste, my life with my amazing family, our losses and moments of happiness, ups and downs, life itself. Peace is very important for me and I can't understand war. Nothing is as important as life and war means death.”
Which artists influence you most?
“Many artists have influenced my art making me the artist that I am today as I processed all the learnings and transformed them into my own style that relates to my life and spirit. I love the impressionist masters, specially Van Gogh and Monet, but the fast way of painting of Caravaggio, the honesty of the art of Frida Kahlo with the alchemical art of Remedios Varo and the mysterious on the dark sky and moons of the Uruguayan artist José Cúneo fascinated me when I discovered them on my childhood. I like to incorporate some hint of street art too in my artworks, I like the work of Banksy. Yayoi Kusama is also an inspiration in the use of color, having fun creating art and doing what you love.”
“Most of my artworks have an underlying message and are a starting point for conversations. Art must relate the world we are living, what we do and like, and the troubles our world is facing.”
What is your creative process like?
“My creative process requires a peaceful space and an open schedule to face the blank canvas and let my spirit enter in a state of deep meditation or trance with total focus on what I do as time goes by in another dimension. I can also create doing live painting at events or "au plein air" but the result of my work is very different, more of the moment and not so reflexive.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“An artwork should move feelings and relate our moment in history. Artists have a sensibility that machines would never have and that would be more appreciated in the future. We have a different mindset and a creative focus that are going to stand out now that the people are starting to look for authenticity, quality and spiritual meaning departing from copycat items without soul that are of fast use creating lots of trash that increases pollution and global warming.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“My favorites solo exhibitions were : The Florence Biennale 2021 during the Pandemic, Spectrum Miami during Art Basel 2021. I also loved my augmented reality exhibition at Piazzale Michelangelo by Artebinaria Italy.”
