FITS Caps- Pseudomero
In this first installment of the FITS Capsules, “Creating from a distance”, PseudoMERO talks about his creative experiences from isolation in his studio and residence, his creative heritage and future plans. In the following capsules we will see a new series of drawings for Unos Versos Paralelos dealing with the pandemic and the new social situation and Existentialist paintings about the cosmos. The first series of Unos Versos Paralelos opened September 12, 2018 at the CAI Gallery in the Metro Campus of the Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico.6
The creative process begins long before the artist picks up his tools to materialize a piece. In fact, it all starts with an idea, questioning, or a concern. PseudoMero explores and responds to the theme of Covid-19 in this new series of drawings focused on the virus, the associated respiratory manifestations and the problems related to governmental control of society. The different types of references included in each image suggest self-awareness and an understanding of the complex web of systems that exert pressure on society and individuals even as we perpetuate and/or modify them.
In this video PseudoMero explains the technical aspects of producing drawings for his series Unos Versos Paralelos. Mero invests large amounts of time in collecting visual references from various disciplines for each of his “parallel verses”. He uses a light box to trace the readymade material, mass-produced images removed from their functional context , and draws in pencil on a pre-printed paper. When he is 1 satisfied with the composition and content, he inks the image with pens and markers and erases all pencil marks.
The resulting pictures could be described as drawn collages, or “(pictures) in which photographs, news cuttings, and other suitable objects are pasted onto a flat surface” , because of the fusion of original drawings, drawn or stenciled text and 2 pastiches, or artwork that imitates of another work, artist or epoch . A stylistic 3 faithfulness to the pre-fabricated material, which includes anatomical drawings, maps, and visual culture- such as commercial illustrations and local and international art serves as a visual reference to the varying disciplines and perspectives involved in the historical understanding of any action or event. Mero includes text in these collages to communicate and stimulate the audience and the use of a variety of languages, english, spanish, mandarin, and portuguese, indicate a global perspective. The packed complex compositions echo the current media barrage, a visual and intellectual overload, meant to inform, sell, comfort, and distract constantly. The artwork is a masterful combination of words, lines and colors, which moves from pencil to ink, from local to universal for each of us to interpret or complete its meaning.
Bibliography
Chilvers, Ian. “Collage.” In Oxford Concise Dictionary of Art and Artists, 133. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.
Chilvers, Ian. “Pastiche.” In Oxford Concise Dictionary of Art and Artists, 133. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.
Chilvers, Ian. “Readymade.” In Oxford Concise Dictionary of Art and Artists, 133. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.
Ian Chilvers, “Readymade,” in Oxford Concise Dictionary of Art and Artists, (Oxford: Oxford
1 University Press, 2003), 488.
2Chilvers, “Collage,” 133.
3Chilvers, “Pastiche,” 442.
Joel Romero Martínez, better known as PseudoMero, has been working with arte_FITS.Foundation since 2010 when he became the inaugural artist of the Yearly Open Call for urban intervention proposals.1 He created Trees of the World, two murals under the bridge along Antonio “Chi chi” Rodríguez Road (693) in Dorado, inspired by Puerto Rican writer and activist Clemente Soto’s poem Estos árboles.2 The murals consisted of a combination of iconic Puerto Rican trees, such as the palm tree, the flamboyán and the ceiba, and excerpts from Soto’s poem.3
Mero is a Puerto Rican artist and professor4 whose creative instruction began at home. This early exposure and stimulation was reinforced at the Escuela Especializada Central de Artes Visuales (Visual Arts Central Specialized School). He has a BFA with a major in Drawing from the Universidad de Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus and an MA in Museology from Caribbean University. Mero currently lives and works at the Bayamón Artist Residencies while he finishes his Puerto Rican History PhD. He is investigating the murals and graffiti in Santurce, Puerto Rico. The artist produces two-dimensional mixed-media drawings, paintings, prints, and murals featuring pastiches of imagery, collage and text as well as digital designs.5 He employs different types of paint which include: acrylic, latex, enamel, spray paint, pigment powder, tar and glitter. His images vary in size as he produces murals and large or small format drawings and paintings. Mero practices graffiti techniques, style and collective processes and explores the letter both formally and symbolically. Historical investigation and a sociological focus inform the pictures he creates in order to stimulate his audience and offer intellectual contributions.
Text by Irma Arzola & Marinelly Bello
Bibliography:
arte_FITS.Foundation. “Pseudomero: Trees of the World.” Published May 15, 2010. Accessed April 22, 2020. https://artefits.org/ephemeralart/index.php/project/pseudomero/
El calce. “Los Universos Expandidos de Pseudomero llegan a Mayagüez.” Published February 28, 2019. Accessed April 22, 2020. https://elcalce.com/contexto/los-universos-expandidos-pseudomero-llegan-a-mayaguez-fotos/
Martinez, Javier. “Unos Versos Paralelos exhibición de dibujos del artista PseudoMero en la Galería CAI de la Universidad Interamericana de Cupey.” Autogiro/el giro del arte actual. Published September 8, 2018. Accessed April 22, 2020. https://autogiro.cronicaurbana.com/es/unos-versos-paralelos-pseudomero/
“Pseudo Mero.” about.me. Accessed April 22, 2020. https://about.me/pseudomero.
1 “Pseudomero: Trees of the World,” arte_FITS.Foundation, published May 15, 2010, accessed April 22, 2020,
http://artefits.org/ephemeralart/index.php/project/pseudomero/
2 “Pseudomero: Trees of the World,” arte_FITS.Foundation, published May 15, 2010, accessed April 22, 2020,
http://artefits.org/ephemeralart/index.php/project/pseudomero/
3 “Pseudomero: Trees of the World,” arte_FITS.Foundation, published May 15, 2010, accessed April 22, 2020,
http://artefits.org/ephemeralart/index.php/project/pseudomero/
4 “Pseudo Mero,” about.me, accessed April 22, 2020,
https://about.me/pseudomero
5 “Los Universos Expandidos de Pseudomero llegan a Mayagüez,” El calce, published February 28, 2019, accessed April 22, 2020,
https://elcalce.com/contexto/los-universos-expandidos-pseudomero-llegan-a-mayaguez-fotos/
6 “Unos Versos Paralelos exhibición de dibujos del artista PseudoMero en la Galería CAI de la Universidad Interamericana de Cupey,” Autogiro/el giro del arte actual, published September 8, 2018, accessed April 22, 2020,
https://autogiro.cronicaurbana.com/es/unos-versos-paralelos-pseudomero/
