Interview
Julio Cesar Osorio
As a social artist, Julio Cesar Osorio has deepened his insights into the vulnerable populations of society, beginning in his home country of Colombia. Vulnerability is a topic that Julio has felt extremely passionate about from a young age, while going through a humble childhood. He has since immigrated to the United Kingdom.
Julio has challenged viewers with a photography project about the socioeconomic factors of childhood in third world countries. He traveled for 5 years to document vulnerable youth, with his project culminating in a photography book that is titled Work, Play, and No Rest. Donations of the book were made to two orphanages: Beautiful Gate in Cape Town, and the Aldea Orphanage in Abancay, Peru. 5 copies of the book are now in the British Library.
Julio hopes to impact viewers with the vibrancy of his portraits, using the medium of paint to convey the need for renewal in society. He believes that his art project, Golden Years, can also shift our paradigms and the way that we think about the elderly population. It will honor and celebrate the elderly, so that they will have a more visible and dignified standing in our society.
As for his abstract series that he is producing concurrently, he aims to show that extensive thought goes into his work to master the practice of fluidity of colours and paint, while exploring such an important part of humanity: its sexuality.
"Last year Julio painted this great portrait of my parents which takes pride of place in their living room. He captured their characters and expressions perfectly. He is a skilled artist."
- Mathew Lijing
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“My name is Julio Cesar Osorio, but I work under my artist name, Juliocesartist. I was born in Colombia but moved to the UK, where I am now based in London. My passion for documentary photography inspired me to seek further education at the age of 27, and then pursue a career in the industry. A visit to my birthplace, Colombia, in the late 1990s led to my first big project ‘Work, Play, and No Rest’, which was part of a university assignment. This developed into a five-year project that resulted in a book of 150 photographs reflecting the lives of disadvantaged children in Third World countries.
I discovered my talent in painting after landing in prison in 2012, after an altercation with a night club doorman who assaulted me. In 2018, I was a finalist for the Newcomer category of the Global Arts Awards in Dubai. I featured my mesmerising painting ‘Tree Of Life’. This was the last painting I produced as part of my therapy, before being released from prison. The painting had me recognised and listed as an artist at Artprice, the International Auction House database. My story emphasises the importance of art, the power it has to heal and transform people’s lives.”
“This painting, ‘The Class Act’, was my first creation since being released from prison, while I was studying under a scholarship received from The Monument Trust.
I made it my biggest work to date to break the limitations of size allowed in prison. It depicts my idea of the class system being turned on its head, using animals to tell the tale.”
What inspires you most?
“Life dealt me one challenge after another throughout my childhood, and I could not understand why. It started when I was 5 with the breakdown of my family unit. I spiraled into feeling alone. I was taken in by several relatives for a short period of time and then passed on. This all had an influence on me because at 42, I ended up in prison.
It was not until I landed in prison that I discovered my ability to paint. Before that, even though I had not acknowledged my artistic talent, I would always find myself trying to depict everything, although alcohol and recreational drugs impeded my focus. In prison, I was away from those distractions but I was also without the cameras I had come to rely on for creative expression. As a result, I was able to start trying to see things with a clear mind, and appreciate the beauty around us that lots of people don’t see. I use my art to capture feelings and emotions and blend them in my work, one idea at a time.”
"We met Julio out walking in Highbury Fields. He told us the fascinating tale of the trials and tribulations of his life as a Colombian immigrant in Britain, the discovery of his ability to paint and the redemption of his life through his art.
We viewed his current work, first online but then in his studio at his home. As always the strength and beauty of his work comes over most powerfully when seen live.
We love the vibrancy of his work with its dramatic use of colour. We bought a number of his works which now adorn our home. They serve as a daily reminder of the power of art to challenge and uplift especially in the sometimes dispiriting world of the pandemic." - Mr. and Mrs. Mcveigh
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“The COVID-19 pandemic has now catapulted me once again into my current project called The Golden Years. This portrait series aims to portray the elderly population in a dignified fashion, and then highlight their lives and accomplishments. This project has been in the works for many years, and suddenly came to life after the loss of my grandmother and many honourable and vulnerable senior citizens during this global pandemic. I have painted a portrait of my grandmother called Stairway to Heaven as a tribute to her loving memory (shown below), and a broad series of portraits portraying other elderly people in vibrant colours. The elderly population will now be remembered and celebrated in my social art project, which you can view here.
Apart from the obvious meaning, all the works I create have many layers, and just as many messages to convey to the viewer. If I didn’t do this, I feel that it would be a waste of an opportunity.”
How would you describe your work?
“No two days are the same in anyone's life. I have that in mind with my art and create different series of works. I have been working on two different series at the same time during the pandemic. The first is the Golden Age, mentioned above. The other is a series of abstract paintings inspired by the issue of the internet porn that has been growing constantly. It is viewed in private and has hit a record high during this lockdown period. It focuses on the great advantages that online camera work has brought for the adult workers that provide a service in the comfort and security of their homes. This cuts out the producers and studios that were making the real money.
As a self taught artist, I feel free to not have to just adapt a style of painting, like most artists do. They follow rules with regards to colours; what can and can’t be used together. Such restrictions are not fair to the artist. I just create things that are important to me using my intuition. You can view some of my abstract work here.”
Which artists influence you most?
“I love Dali’s work because it is so surreal. I look at lots of art but don’t follow or focus on any given artist, although I have had my art compared to David Hockney because of similar use of colours.
In regard to my own work, my favourite piece is my grandmother’s portrait because of my emotional attachment to her!”
“My vivid and dynamic abstract art reflects my moods, feelings and state of mind.
There is an uninhibited energy as I capture a plethora of colours and fluidity in sporadic segments.”
What is your creative process like?
“I usually play around with ideas of things that I want to work on. I let them ruminate in my head to get as many possible ways to interpret them. After I choose the next thing to work on, I start to create. For the abstract ones, I build a rapport with the muse and work spontaneously on them. Sometimes I feel the need to just let my feelings and emotions run wild. This works best for the abstract pieces. I work out the composition and content I want for the work, and visualize the different layers I have to work through to achieve the final results. This helps me avoid wasting time and redoing things.
In prison, I met four great art tutors who helped me adopt my own strategy. They had passion for teaching the basics of art to the men there, with the hope of changing people’s lives with what they were doing. We were not allowed to use oil paint because of the fumes and, I guess, expense. I was assisted to request for, and granted permission to take small quantities of acrylic paints to my cell. I got used to using acrylic and to this day, that is what I use.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“I believe that art is a very powerful. The artist’s role is to use that tool to spark a conversation by highlighting social issues that the great masses are going through, with the aim of bringing change.
In the material world we live in, it is very easy to pursue a living and finding success as an artist by creating aesthetically pleasing art that sells, regardless of whether it has meaning or not. If that is the case, I feel it is no more than a great mind that was won over by the devilish world of capitalism.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“Since my release, my work has been featured at London's renowned Southbank Centre as part of the Koestler Trust's 'Catching Dreams'.
My painting, Miniscule Beauty, was chosen as the main image for the exhibition ‘We Are All Human’ curated by the poet, writer, lyricist and musician, Benjamin Zephaniah. You can read about this here.
I have received a fine art scholarship through The Monument Trust. In addition, I have had several solo and group exhibitions in London.
One of my paintings has been used as the poster image for an exhibition curated on the Southbank. It was the stand out piece of the exhibition, as can be viewed here."
