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An interview with Marcelo Novo

By Judit Trunkos

Marcelo Novo, an Argentine-born Automatist painter, has been living in Columbia for over 15 years. Novo travels frequently to find inspiration and happened to be in Peru during the deadly earthquake last month. He took a few moments to talk with City Paper about his experiences in South America and the new paintings he is producing as a result.

TRUNKOS: Were you in Peru at the time of the earthquake? How did it affect your trip?

NOVO: I already left Lima by the time of the earthquake. I was in Cusco and could only feel a little bit of the ground’s movement. Despite the tragedy that killed over 300 people in Lima, I was lucky enough to avoid it.

TRUNKOS: Did you find the inspiration you were looking for?

NOVO: I love to travel and see new places, meet new people and learn as much of their culture as possible. When you are traveling as a tourist, chances are you will miss the real essence of the country by only paying attention to the tourist attractions and not to the native people and their lives. I always try to blend in by walking the street, talking to strangers, even going out at night to dance and to meet the locals. I learn the most intriguing facts and hear exceptional stories this way. These stories connect the past to the present keeping the past alive and giving me inspiration.

TRUNKOS: Could you share one of these stories and explain how it affected your work?

NOVO: One night I was sitting on a bench in Cusco enjoying the day when an old man, around 92, came to me and we started talking. Behind me was the main avenue of the city, called Avenida del Sol, and I learned the most surprising thing from my 92-year-old companion about it. He told me that the Avenida del Sol used to be a river with bridges which he had to cross many times when he was younger. He further told me that the river is still there, running underneath the avenue. Stories like this add so much to the culture and history of a city which inspires my work. In the case of the hidden ghost-river for instance, the man with his story will remain in my memories for a long time and perhaps encourage some future works. Blending in with the natives definitely gives me more inside information. In this case for instance, I was lucky enough to find someone old enough to remember the river and was able to tell me about it.

TRUNKOS: You don’t see too many people over 92 healthy enough to walk around on the street.

NOVO: Yes, and interestingly he did not look 92 at all. I thought he was somewhere around 70 years old. But when he told me his age, I had to ask him how he was staying so young. His secret, according to him, lied in his trips to the ruins. He told me that he walks to the ruins of the Inca church and stands in the middle of the circle-shaped foundation sucking in the rejuvenating energy of the rising sun every day. I climbed up to those ruins and it took me a bit of a climbing and effort to get there. Knowing that this old man at the age of 92 makes it up there every day, makes me wonder if it is the sun or his hitchhiking that keeps him so healthy.

TRUNKOS: Do you think that the results of your trip, the collected information and images will come back to you and appear on your canvases as soon as you start painting?

NOVO: Some will take longer than others but some already started showing up. I am a visual person so I have to see things to have an impact on me. During the two weeks of this trip I have seen many things that will evolve in my unconscious and eventually show up on my new works. I already have a small drawing inspired by the trip, which I drew at the airport while I was waiting to fly back from Peru. It is titled “Freedom Flight,” and you can already see the elements of the Peruvian labyrinth resurface from my subconscious. I expect to see many of the buildings, ruins, sculptures, masks, garments, colors and music to follow soon.

TRUNKOS: Do you do anything to encourage the images to come out in your works?

NOVO: There is nothing I can do other than start doodling and see what happens, which is the essence of Automatism. I just let my subconscious take over not allowing my conscious to limit or edit the creation.

TRUNKOS: What have you been working on lately?

NOVO: My “Map Series,” which was first exhibited at HoFP Gallery this May. In this body of works, I use old maps as backgrounds of my paintings. The generally small pieces are flowing out of my subconscious as I start looking at the maps before even deciding what I will paint on top of them. In a way, the torn old maps give me the answer to this question. As I look at the maps, silhouettes of images start shaping up in front of me and that is how the idea of the piece is born.

TRUNKOS: Are you still expanding the Map Series?

NOVO: Yes, this series has a lot of potential. The maps and the whole idea of using maps as backgrounds give me many new ideas. So far the series contains about 30 pieces. Many were not exhibited.

TRUNKOS: According to your observation, how successful is the “Map Series?”

NOVO: It seems to me that many people like the pieces. It is a unique approach to using maps as backgrounds. I don’t know of any artists who have done this before. Also, exhibitions out of state started to pay attention to these works. I recently learned that two of the smaller, foot-long pieces of the “Map Series” were selected to be shown at the “FOOTLONG: National Juried Exhibition” in New Mexico from October 19 to November 15.

Marcelo Novo has gained a great reputation in the Carolinas as his works have been exhibited in many national and international galleries and museums. In Columbia his works can be seen at numerous locations, including HoFP Gallery, Goatfeathers and the Bohemian Home as well as at the State Museum as part of the Mark B. Coplan Collection. More information about Marcelo Novo can be found on his website at www.artmajeur.com/novo.