Interview
Jorge Parra
Working with the female human body has been Jorge’s obsession ever since he started exploring photography as his creative channel. After 2 degrees in Chemistry and working as a chemist in weird fields, like researching the Biochemistry of Schizophrenia, then jumping to Crystal formation and microscopic interactions via Electrochemistry, and finally working in a commercial Analytical Chemistry Lab, something snapped in his head and Jorge left everything behind and jumped almost overnight into photography. This incredible path has taken him to different approaches to the naked body but in retrospect, he can certainly say that his quest has been an evolving process of transformations and transmutations of those bodies into something much deeper, less obvious meanings and concepts. Jorge is approaching his own visual alchemy as an inner voyage of transformation and a psychological and spiritual quest.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“Back when I was a teenager and started practicing yoga and meditation, I was an avid reader of ancient Alchemy books as I was fascinated by the concept of Transmutation, full transformation from raw to refined states, as the underlying process behind all alchemical processes. I started taking photos during my last years of college, but I was not studying any visual arts career. I graduated as a Chemist and I worked for many years as one, doing basic research in Neuro Chemistry first, and later on in Electro Chemistry. In regards to photography, I was completely self-taught. My initial work as a photographer led me to shoot editorial magazines, and this led to advertising, while I was always shooting personal projects based on the nude. This is why I say that I have lived two lives in this one, a total reinvention of my life happened, a true transformative, Alchemical process in my life, and a third one is in the making!”
What inspires you?
“My personal work since the start of my photographic path involved a mix of fashion, beauty and the nude body. I have ever since been surrounded by beauty, and I felt I wanted to express, not only the superficial beauty of women but also the relevant advances of women in society, by manifesting their self-confidence, sensuality, all the magical treats that involve being a woman these days. Just the same, paintings, sculptures, books and movies help me keep learning and explore different ways to approach my visual experience.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“I claim that I have become a De Facto Activist on behalf of women because exploring their femininity, subtleness, power and strength through my work also made me realize I have to advocate on their behalf, given the persistent - and regrettably, successful- attempts to exert control on their minds and their bodies, in addition to the constant censorship applied on the nude beauty of the nude body in the visual arts. The negative influence of pseudo-religious groups, especially in the USA, has imposed a repressive moralistic agenda, acting as if they have the moral ground to impose it, which they do not! To give you a relevant point here: It is well known that the so-called Bibble Belt is the area with the highest level of `consumption of online porn, so go figure!! Also, I feel there is a genuine fear of granting more power to women, given the amazing process of growth and advances of their roles in our culture, business and overall social environments. This scares the religious, political, business and cultural leadership across the board.”
“My personal work since the start of my photographic path involved a mix of fashion, beauty and the nude body.”
How would you describe your work?
“I am in an internal and very personal quest for beauty, I live surrounded by beauty but I want to express not only its external form, but also all the amazing alchemical transformations women and their bodies can experiment and manifest.”
Which artists influence you most?
“I have studied most of the “classic” photographers, painters, sculptors and writers, and I keep learning from them as well as the more contemporary shooters. If you ask me by specific names, I would say I love several European shooters, starring with Paolo Roversi, Helmut Newton, Guy Burdin, George Hoyningen Huene, Horst P Horst, as well as cinematographers like Tarkovsky and Kubrick, painters like Rene Magritte, Paul Delvaux, Giorgio De Chirico, and many others.”
What is your creative process like?
“I have been involved for many years in Taichi and Meditation and have explored creative paths using meditation as a practice to expand my creativity. Usually, some basic concepts are roaming in my mind, and then the process of reflection, concentration, etc helps me improve the visualization process to start working. That said, once I start producing the actual work, I keep all options available, including improvisation and allow on-the-spot creativity to take over and let things flow. Also, my team, starting with models and stylists, also provide feedback and bring ideas to the mix, so the creative process is more of a team effort that starts up with my vision but expands beyond the original concepts.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“It should be obvious by now that artists are the true creators of culture. The vision to see ahead of their time, and create alternative spaces, realities and options that become solutions to problems, can not be underestimated. The current state of affairs, with artificial Intelligence entering the cultural stage as a powerful tool to work on unexpected solutions and visual options, is opening a new series of paradigms that are disrupting the “standard” way of doing things. We are very far from understanding what will be the real implications of these tools in our society as a whole, but it is the artists the ones experimenting with the edgy, most advanced techniques, so I am confident it is through the arts and open experimentation that will bring clarity in the near future.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“My most recent exhibitions were purely digital, using the NFT of my original work, displayed on TV monitors. One was right here at The Hodler Gallery Miami during Summer 2023, and the other one in Canvas New York last November. Some of my work may be showcased in Paris NFT at the end of February 2024. In terms of classical shows, I have run several IRL print solo exhibitions and collectives, all based on my Fine Art Nudes, in different galleries in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. See photos. As I am going through one more reinvention of my life as a creator, and I hope to bring and share my accumulated experience in the standard art and commerce markets into the new markets on the so-called Web 3, including Metaverse Galleries like Spatial, and OnCyber, and Non-Fungible Tokens, this is, Digital Collectibles, available in different NFT MarketPlaces like Foundation, Known Origin, Open Sea, etc in addition to my regular work.”
