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1Mariela Esclusa
ANDRES
MICHELENA
Expressing thoughts in articulation becomes a very
tedious process for many of us, and sometimes we can't
even achieve this task. Sometimes our thoughts, beliefs,
and emotions cannot be expressed through words, but
rather through creation. Artists tend to do this. They
transform their thoughts and ideas in the Broca's area of
their brains, but instead of creating words, they create art.
Most of them inherit the art gene from an artistic relative,
but Andres Michelena, a Venezuelan artist, does not have
an art gene, he has an entire gene pool. This probably
explains his peculiar way of extracting the thoughts that
flourish in his brain and translating them into matter.
“It is a process, a ‘rosary of moments’”.
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Quick Bio:
Andres Michelena was born in Caracas,
Venezuela in 1963. Conceptual artist. Andres
moved to Florida in 2000, to escape the
totalitarian regime of Hugo Chavez, and to
find a more opportunistic path for his career.
Written by: Mariela Esclusa

2. INFLUENCES
Andres Michelena has been involved in religious, spiritual,
and esoteric matters for most of his life. Since his first
remarkable solo show in 1989, “Opus Nigrum”, he has
translated the influence of his spiritual path into his
artworks.
In a fray of Catholicism, Santeria, Astrology, Alchemy, and
more recently Zen Buddhism, his art has always mirrored
the immersion of himself into his work. He focuses on the
spiritual nature of a question, or principle. Andres takes the
concept of religion and applies it to many of his candid
pieces. “My purpose isn’t to push religion, or to condemn
it, it’s simply to put the subject in a light where it can be
clearly displayed for admiration or even critique.” When
constructing his art,Andres focuses on the present, the
human experience, and what is happening in the life
around him to influence and inspire him. With many
different religions to acquire from, Andres is able to speak
to many different audiences, as well as have a more broad
understanding of the world and its people.
PLAYING WITH ART
Throughout the years as an artist, he has explored different
methods and materials. He has played around with paint
(mainly with acrylics and watercolors) over wood, canvas,
and paper. He has made sculptures in clay, glycerin soap,
and plexiglas. Photographs, installations, drawings in
archival ink, and graphite. He even created a technique
using ink stamps; shaping, shadowing, and contouring the
faces of different icons like Andy Warhol and Joseph
Beuys. “The canvas is made out of recycled Chinese
newspaper, and I use rubber stamps seals. Some I buy, and
some I make myself.”
2Mariela Esclusa
Best Beuys
Warwhole Foods

3. A more political piece he created
called “Content” using this
technique portrays Obama. Above
Obama’s head appears TinTin from
the popular French comic The
Adventures of TinTin, hovering while
advising Obama, “Careful, Captain.
This is rather tricky.”
“Everything about this piece
represents a thought. The concept is one of optimism,
inspiration, hope, and a dream. However, it is also one of
caution. Promises have been made by the President, and they
have created great expectations.”
“In general my style is: conceptual art”
A different type of his conceptual art projects is called Awa,
which in Japanese means “bubble”.
“I displayed an installation of 108 Buddha's heads made out
of glycerin soap, each with a different message inside.
Empiric notion tells us you can reach knowledge through
experience. The experience in this case, was represented by
the soap, and the knowledge was represented by the
message. To reach knowledge you need to use the head,
dissolving what is sometimes considered sacred as an image,
or eventually valuable as an artwork. It is a challenge for the
viewer. It also states the concept of ‘impermanence’”.
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“Spiritual in Art”
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Being involved in art for so many
years, Andres has gone through many
themes and stages during his career.
“I have worked in different directions.
‘Spiritual in Art’ could be taken as one,
and right now Art by itself. In general:
Conceptual Art.”
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Contaminados
Shanghai Lover

4. THE “KICKOFF” MOMENT
When I asked what inspired him to take on a career in the arts he said, “I come from lineage of art
people. Musicians, writers, poets, film directors and painters. I would definitely say: It runs in the
family.” Among his artistic relatives is the most famous Venezuelan painter of the 19th century,
Arturo Michelena.
Although always passionate about art, Andres started college in the path of architecture. During his
last semester, he met a very important Venezuelan artist, Pedro Leon Zapata who gave a lecture in
one of his classrooms. Zapata caused an epiphany to occur in Andres’ life, making him realize that in
architecture, his imagination had limitations, but in art there was no such thing. Shortly after, he
enrolled in the Federico Brandt Art Institute in Caracas, studying Fine Arts and never looked back at
architecture again.
I asked Andres when he felt his career as an artist kicked off. He told me that he has not had a
“kickoff” moment to his career, but rather several. He seems very opportunistic as he sees every
single moment as a kickoff for his career. “It’s the actual moment, and probably every single
moment after that. It is a process, a ‘rosary of moments’. Every single one is important for me.”
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4Mariela Esclusa
Q & A
Q: Any artistic influences?
A: Marcel Duchamp,
Joseph Beuys, Bill Viola,
Mira Schendel, my dad,
my daughter.”
Q: favorite art piece?
A: The one that I am
working with right now…
until the next one!
Q: Your biggest
accomplishment?
A: Being true to my self,
and never ever quitting

5. DISPLAYS
Since 2004, Andres has been involved in 16 solo exhibitions, 15 group exhibitions, 17 art fairs, and
9 selected special projects. Among them, Balelatina (Switzerland), Photo Miami, Art Miami,
Arteamericas, CIRCA (Puerto Rico), FIA-Caracas, LOOP (Barcelona) and British Art (London, UK).
He is currently working on modernism as Utopia, and essentialism instead of Minimalism. The most
recent project consists of a series of photos named “Impositions”.
WHAT’S NEXT?
With an incredible twenty-year career, Andres Michelena sure has plenty to show for it, making him
a truly successful “translator of thoughts”. His artworks are currently not for sale due to personal
preference, but in the near future, Henrique Faria Fine Arts in New York will be the only gallery
authorized to handle them. This truly is an artist that has a refreshing way to look at the world and
express it in his art. Although not very widely known, he is definitely worth looking into. So, what’s
next for the conceptual artist? “TODAY!” he says.
5Mariela Esclusa