Multidisciplinary artist Carlos Estévez pulls back the veil separating us from the secret realms lying beneath our reality. He weaves his dreams into his surreal work, encouraging us to look within and reflect.
“The source of my work is the human existence,” Estévez says. “My process is similar to the process of alchemists. They were looking for the formula to make gold, and what they found instead was knowledge. My goal is to find knowledge through art.”
Estévez obsesses over the meaning of life, of our place in the universe. Intricately-drawn characters dance throughout his work, the almost childlike imagery harkening on sacred geometries, ancient symbolism, and fantastical beings. “The work that I do reflects my inner world,” he says, “and it must be done with all the complexity that this process requires. That is why it needs to be very detailed. Every single element is important: the background images, colors, textures, lines, and the title.”
During his residency at McColl Center in 2016, Estévez created over 200 painted ceramic works. In these pieces, he explored the connection between ordinary human existence and spiritual transcendence by creating utilitarian objects, such as dinner plates, and painting onto them dreamlike creatures he interprets as representations of the human spirit.
“It’s definitely a charming place,” Estévez says when describing the former church housing McColl Center, “full of ghosts and spirits that do not rest. From the very beginning, I connected with that energy and it was my source of inspiration through the magic of fire. The ovens and their alchemy took care of the rest to keep me emerged in experimentation throughout the whole residency.”
These works, along with others inspired by magical realism in Latin American literature, were brought to Palimpsest, an exhibition at the UNC Charlotte College of Arts + Architecture in 2018. While in Charlotte, Estévez worked closely with Levine Cancer Institute of Carolinas HealthCare System (now Atrium Health) to provide art therapy for patients in the Integrative Oncology Unit. “My artwork is a result of my human experience, so living here, in another community, in another city, has developed new ideas and new experiences.”
Estévez has lived in Miami since moving from his home country of Cuba in 2004. His work is featured in galleries and museums throughout the Americas, and he has attended residencies all over the world. He considers himself reclusive, yet he is driven to connect with others through his artwork. “I think that art is a magical form of communication,” Estévez says, “and the key is to look at yourself as deeply as possible so that you can communicate with the deepest territories of others.”