Fernando Suárez Reguera possesses an unusual mastery of capturing the rhythm and gesture, the precise moment to freeze an image in time, while studying its dynamic potential.

an article written by Carmen Line Hust
ARTICULATE #27 | APRIL 2021

The Spanish artist Fernando Suárez Reguera (b. 1966), has known his creative path, since his early childhood. As a child, Suárez spent his days in the studio of his grandfather, who was a painter. While the grandfather was painting, telling stories, Suárez was drawing with his colored pencils – listening carefully.

It was at the University of Fine Arts in Madrid (1994), Suárez chose his sculptural direction. The three dimensions took charge, as he developed his artistical voice. His favorite materials in pursuing three dimensions, are metals, such as iron, bronze and steel, which he normally combines with wood, resins, waxes, plastics and glass (mirror), which he’s using to diversify its production and exploit all the options offered by the Spatial occupation, with a singular obsession for movement and weightlessness. To Suárez, it’s important to have a solid notion of, and own a certain comfort in working with, all these materials.

Suárez usually works with several pieces at the same time, and with distinct themes. This way, he persists in working with no pauses, which is ‘when the good stuff occurs’, according to Suárez. His artistic process has always included developing various themes and different paths in his work. This process allows him to continuously enjoy his sculptures, as if it was the day, he created them, and further: to continuously learn from them – looking for new solutions and results, within the work itself.

​Suárez possesses an unusual mastery of capturing the rhythm, the gesture, the precise moment to freeze an image in time, while studying its dynamic potential. And thus, the key element of creating a good composition to Suárez is rhythm. To him, the magic is knowing how to combine all the elements that completes the piece, and to achieve harmony between all the implemented elements.

In every journey, Suárez experiences a moment of action that creates an uncertainty before the events that are to come, just as in the process of realization of a creative work, a creator is surrounded by a permanent uncertainty. During this period of time, the artist must answer and face different questions and issues that frequently come up during the creative process. In such, he has a clear idea of the creative work, but not of its complete form. For this reason, the search for formal solutions is constant and requires an enormous mental and cognitive effort. 

This uncertainty of the mind is what stimulates him, both in order to develop as an artist, but also motivating him to take on new projects. He suggests that it’s dangerous to dwell in monotony and conformism, either by the exhaustion of ideas or, even if it seems contradictory, by the rewards of success. You must always ask new questions that lead you to doubt and cause you to think anew without considering what has already been done. To him, the creative process is by no means linear, there are many failures. Mistakes that lead to corrections and changes in the way you work in order to continue to grow in your personal career. As stated by Alfredo Muñoz, a social psychologist at the Universidad of Complutense in Madrid: 'You should not lose the ability to have fun'.

Suárez suggests all artists to be sponges, absorbing knowledge from all their experiences, trips and of course other artists. He himself, has always visited a lot of art exhibitions of very different artists and has even, as he puts it, taken a lot from all of them. Even so, Suárez is very eclectic in his tastes.

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This article about Fernando Suárez Reguera takes part of the 27th  magazine,  ARTICULATE #27. Read, download or order your print version of the full publication below. 

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