Interview
Ulysses Veloso
Ulysses Veloso is a designer / fabricator with a master’s degree in fine arts and a bachelor’s degree in sculpture and education. He has mounted 14 major solo shows and 24 group exhibitions in major museums, galleries, and alternative art spaces. He has a long list of commissioned works both in the local and international art market. His passion to create Art is seen in the way he transposes surreal and scientific concepts into an art experience he calls “Abstract Existentialism.” This belies not only theoretical aesthetics but also critical awareness of the fundamental laws of nature. As a futurist, he explores the possibilities of new and old materials from its technical qualities to visual meaning and weaves into artistic canons that permeate through time. His engagement with scientific discourses in the academe has led him to locate his art in several dimensions as his thematic choices are transformed into varying philosophical contexts relevant to our generation. Every work of art is an articulation of Ulysses Veloso’s mastery of the art elements, technical brilliance, and zest for life.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I am now based in Toronto, Canada. I started art at a very young age and learned everything I know from my father who was also an artist who love doing challenging projects DIY style. It was the use of different power tools and the challenge that got me hooked on sculpture. As a child, having access to quality art materials and techniques gave me the advantage in art class and school projects that set me above the rest and was branded the school artist. Later on, since my father was a university professor teaching Humanities, gave me a lot of exposure and opportunities to the art world. It was inevitable that I would take a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and by doing so I picked sculpture as my major. I am addicted on knowing how things are made, the satisfaction of experiencing different techniques with different materials became my drug of choice. Since then, I’ve been active around art events and took on art related jobs within art industries like theatre, film, and advertising. Now, I work full time as a lead artist for an art and architectural fabrication company.”
What inspires you?
“The absurdity of life! since reality is stranger than fiction my recent obsession with global issues inspired me to re-create “Bonfire” a mock-up for a proposed public art way back in 2011. Now, for my 2024 series of works entitled “Bonfire, the shape of triumph over ignorance.” I’m compelled to reiterate my perspective about man’s correlation with “fire” using 3 substantial subjects. *Physics - “Fire” is the visualization of stored energy passing through a portal of change. The flame is the reaction zone where molecules transform and reconfigure to another state of matter according to the fundamental laws of Quantum Physics. All matter is fuel and will burn given the right conditions in space and time. The act of burning is a chain reaction of excited molecules interacting with our atmosphere. The different colors are based on the type of fuel and amount of oxygen made available and by doing so produce heat and colorful lights. Together with the earth’s gravity and pressure, the shape of fire is not random and is with entropy. Its deterministic chaos we marvel upon can be mathematically determined.
*Anthropology - The human species’ entire evolution is primarily due to the exploitation of Fire. Since the dawn of our existence “Fire” has been our greatest ally, our survival depended fundamentally on fire. No other biological creature uses fire other than us. We have skillfully mastered its function not only for our protection but for practical needs like lighting, heating, and cooking. Every culture in every part of the world, “fire” has been mystified, celebrated, and glorified. It has inspired great minds scientifically, spiritually, and politically. It is the driving force that inspired great leaders and powerful nations. It is the firepower that built breathtaking cathedrals and the grandest of rockets. Its creative and destructive cycle are intrinsic to our culture.
*Climate change - As we humans thrive and take dominion over nature with our smartphones, GPS satellites and designer bags, we remain primitive, barbaric, and idiotic; and “fire” is our fiercest accomplice. Our relentless burning of fossil fuels for manufacturing energy and to satisfy our insatiable appetite of materialism is a psychotic behavior called consumerism. Our savage disregard for the environment to justify comfort, profit and power has significantly contributed to the greenhouse gases and fueled our ignorance we think is progress. Nevertheless, it is not rocket science to figure out that all the natural causes of wildfires burning in our forest are in fact due to extreme weather conditions.
In retrospect, the duality of “Fire” being both culprit and life giver is the never-ending paradox articulated in this sculpture using curved lines looped infinitely to form 3 sectional flames that constitutes *physics, *anthropology, *climate change. The irony of forging steel using fire is worthy of an art process, and by polishing steel to its highest level, it is suggestive and hopeful that humanity will reflect upon the use of “fire” wisely and to elevate awareness about our carbon footprint. We can triumph over ignorance by considering an alternative to fireworks, omitting candles, starting cycling, stopping a bomb or by simply appreciating Art. For a pius “fire” is Hell, for a builder “fire” is God, for a dreamer “fire” is Art”
What does art mean to you?
“Art is an archaeological document. It is a tangible artifact of man’s intellectual evolution. The topics and ideas we choose to express, the skillsets we achieved are all evidences of how far man has gone from the age of the petroglyphs to drones drawings in the sky. Art is archival evidence of how brilliant and how stupid we are as a species.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“I am passionate about discovering scientific concepts, to me nature presents itself as surreal and absurd. It is an aesthetic experience I call “Abstract Existentialism” The irony is, after I remove all traces of reality comes abstraction then the questioning of why and why not present itself as Art. This belies not only theoretical aesthetics but also critical awareness of the fundamental laws of nature from theoretical physics to quantum mechanics. I identify myself as a futurist and I believe these varying philosophical contexts are relevant to our generation and worthy of being expressed through art.”
“I am passionate about discovering scientific concepts, to me nature presents itself as surreal and absurd.”
How would you describe your work?
“Mundane. I am a delusional romantic stuck in the renaissance laced with minimalism.
Mundane because I have no aptitude for violating conventions for the sake of modernity. Meaning I deeply value technical skills and execution in conjunction with reason. As a futurist, I try to explore the possibilities of new and old materials from its technical qualities to its visual meaning and weave it into artistic canons that permeate through time.”
What’s your favorite artwork and why?
“I have so many favorites! I love all kinds of art, it’s easier for me to say the ones I hate. I abhor the contemporary art that wall street monetized, the exploits of luxury brands, the insane auctions, the media manipulation, and the corporate built aesthetics. Not only is it degrading but also embarrassing to real artists who bleed sweat and tears for art’s sake. No one has yet matched the vision of Michelangelo and the genius of Davinci.”
Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?
“I don’t improvise. I stick to the vision. I over think everything, I analyze all possible scenarios according to my limited resources. I take pleasure in doing everything myself, from selecting and prepping raw materials, to finishing, to installation. Why would I let anyone have the satisfaction of the art process? I take pride in the painstaking labor and relish the challenge of learning from mistakes unlike others who have the privilege to be supervisors demanding perfection and have the audacity to call themselves artist.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“The best way for me to answer this is through my 2011 series “TREES are the BEST ANTIQUES.” My art statement is: Obviously, steel wool isn't made of wool, and steel doesn't grow from trees either. These bundles of sharp-edged metal strips, which are used for scrubbing pots and pans is an abrasive made from high-grade stainless-steel shavings. My pursuit as an artist is to initiate an ideological shift of perspective in the aspect of turning the mundane into an aesthetic experience.
A "tree" is symbolic of "man" being one spec that is part of an immense network. A modernist way into the Universe is through respecting living things older than us.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I am proud and honored to be part of Nuit Blanche Toronto 2023 the city’s annual celebration of contemporary art, produced by the City of Toronto. Exhibited were 2 pairs of diptychs using crumpled aluminum, a new material used for spacecrafts I stumbled upon. This allowed me to reconnect with the local art scene and discourse about concepts like “Albedo” the ability of objects surfaces to reflect or absorb light. I was exploring the chaos theory of reflected light, a study that involves random or unpredictable behavior in systems governed by deterministic laws. Determinism in chaos suggests a paradox, it connects two notions that are familiar and commonly regarded as incompatible. It is the view that every event has a cause that determines the one and only way that event could have happened. Thus, “Albedo” is somewhere between random and predictable.”
Website: www.ulyssesveloso.com
Instagram: @ulyssesvelosospecialprojects
