Interview
Pedro Sousa Louro
He established his career as an artist in London, graduating with a BA in Fine Art. Pedro Sousa Louro has had numerous careers, including TV presenting and modelling, for almost 17 years but has always lived on drawing cubist images. Now a full-time artist, Pedro transfers his soul into his studio. His work portrays feelings, emotions, and perceptions -consciously and unconsciously- through detailed geometric compositions balanced with lines and shapes.
Using multiple techniques in each artwork, his concern lies with creating a dialogue with colour and form rather than over-focusing on the subject matter. Numerous materials, such as textiles, reclaimed wood objects, old journals, and wallpapers, come into play during the artist's process. With canvas or wooden panels for a base, these are combined with rustic deteriorating metal elements, created through a technique he developed using oxidising copper powders. Combinations of letters and numbers are applied to balance the composition, and finally, each artwork is finished with yacht varnish. In Pedro’s work, you can see the evolution in his dialogue with colours and geometry, despite his preferences for contemporary artists like Francis Bacon and Ben Nickolson. His reminiscence comes from the "neoplasticism" of Mondrian, Robert Rauschenberg, and in some way, Picasso. Still, the most crucial influence of Pedro’s creativity is Ben Nickolson, where Cubism has been part of his life. Only in the early part of his career, in his more recent research and studies, he combines Cubism and abstract expressionism in just one practice as he creates his works. He uses the technique of "dropping" by Pollock but with the order and sense of Rothko. Pedro is originally from Portugal and moved to the UK over 29 years ago to study his passion for art. He later graduated from Chelsea College of Art and Design in 1997. He continued his second degree in 2011 in Abstract Vision and Expressionism at Kensington and Chelsea Art College University. Pedro is hugely inspired by his favorite artists, Francis Bacon and the British abstract cubist Ben Nickolson, but also finds himself drawn to many other great masters in art. It is from them that he finds himself creating his work. In his artistic abstract expressionism and cubist language attempts, he tries not to stick with just one technique because he does not stress regarding the subject matter as long he achieves what he wants in the geometrical creativity and almost in an architectural statement. Pedro focuses only on the compact geometric detailed balance of each composition he designs and concentrates his attention on the final details, such as making each color interact and building an artist's creative personal statement in his last pieces. A textural tangibility is immediately evident in Pedro Sousa Louro’s work. Earthy and material-focused, an unassuming beauty is found within the play between dark woods and a muddied palette. Furthermore, geometry plays a crucial role here, as clean white lines converse with blocks of muted color. There is an almost archival, collage-like approach to applying materials and hues. It is as if Sousa Louro has assumed the archaeologist role, unearthing forgotten history layers. Educated at Chelsea College of Arts, Sousa Louro is among the most talked-about LGBTQ artists. Pedro has collectors around the globe, including Europe, the Middle East, India, Australia, the US, Russia and South America.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I have been painting since I was six years old. I have been drawing since an early age. I came to the UK to study art in 1994. I'm from Chelsea College of Art and completed my course in 1998. Later had my second course in Abstract Expressionism and Abstract Vision from Chelsea art school university in 2010.”
What inspires you?
“My primary inspiration comes from a few Masters of Art, such as Francis Bacon, Ben Nicholson, Picasso, Robert Rauschenberg, and Mondrian. My reminiscence comes from "neoplasticism." Currently, architectural geometrical forms are the primary tools of my creativity.”
“If you're an artist, you're in a position to challenge the status quo.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“I create architectural geometrical forms. I finalize them as documents, almost like archaeological manuscripts.”
How would you describe your work?
“I describe my work as an Architectural Abstract concept. As I said, it all imaginative forms come from my nervous creative system.”
Which artists influence you most?
“Francis Bacon. He manages, for multiple reasons, to be the most influential in my work. Considering that I don't often do symbolic figurative art at all. But I can pick up endless geometrical inspirations in his work.”
What is your creative process like?
“First is the base or canvas or wood panels. Then when I decide what geometrical form I like, I go crazy about finding materials I will incorporate into the work. Sometimes, it could happen without first drawing what I want. It could happen by myself starting to design a geometrical form, and then I arrive at the point where I know what I'm doing, and finally, I visualize the work already finished in my head. So, I finished the artwork precisely the way I envisioned.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“If you're an artist, you're in a position to challenge the status quo. That's where I'm coming from. That's the job of an artist in society. It's not to paint pretty pictures. It's to say something, even if it's a disturbing and uncomfortable message to the viewers.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“Well, if you get on board with galleries or exhibitions that you thought could be more professional at all levels, starting with physically taking care of the artwork to other crucial details that did not meet your expectations. That happened to me in the past, and it is all a learning process. I'm not going to mention these people, but all I can say is that it was an awful experience for any artist who experienced it.”
