NEW YORK, NY.- On the occasion of Alexander Berggruen's current exhibition Yoab Vera: Reminiscence — Contigo Aprendí (July 10-August 22, 2024), we spoke with the Mexico City and Istanbul-based artist about his work.

Q: Could you explain the physical process of how you apply paint and concrete to canvas?

A: I paint with treated concrete, oil-stick, and oil by moving the palm of my hand gently from side to side, smearing the painting and concrete throughout the canvas. This manual process amalgamates the paint and the concrete as a hybrid medium. Because of the rapid drying duration of the concrete, I have to combine them on the surface actively as I am painting. The process traces rugged, colorful textures when it dries. Perceptually, I am interested in observing those uneven surfaces. They refer to the tactile process and respond as a kind of topographical map of moods and memories of places.

Q: You painted each of the seven canvases that make up Semana Serenata: Dance by the Sea (to Sol LeWitt) in one day over the course of a week. Can you walk us through your meditative routine on the days in which you’re embarking on your week- or month-long series?

A: In my daily meditation sitting and painting practice, I find that both activities intertwine through a shared contemplation of time and memory. Each of the seven canvases in Semana Serenata: Dance by the Sea (to Sol LeWitt), which form a unified piece when displayed together, was painted on a separate day over the course of a week, capturing the same seascape with the sun from the same vantage point. This is why I refer to them as Week paintings.

The daily ritual of painting, much like my meditation practice, involves a consistent posture and focus. Attentively blending concrete and oil by hand mirrors the mindfulness of meditation. This routine not only deepens my awareness but also introduces a temporal element, as the drying time of the concrete-oil mixture shapes each painting. This mindful process reflects the way meditation highlights the passage of time and the impermanence of experience. I title the series Semana Serenata —a combination of Semana (week) and Serenata (serenade)—to evoke the idea of a serenade, a musical arrangement intended to elicit memories of love. The term, serenata, derives from the Latin serenus, meaning calm open air, reflecting my love for painting outdoors and capturing the serene moments of the day.

Additionally, I work with month paintings titled Varieties of Presence and single-day paintings titled Recuerditos Cotidianos (or Quotidian Souvenirs), where each canvas of a one week painting, as in Semana Serenata: Dance by the Sea (to Sol LeWitt) also fits this latter category, capturing a daily moment within the broader contemplative framework. The repetition and variation in these works reflect a broader quest to understand time’s impact on our awareness and existence, highlighting the tension between permanence and change. Through both painting and meditation, I seek to embrace presence, memory, and interconnectedness, finding hope in the beauty of transitory moments.

Q: Sometimes, the sun is clearly depicted, and at other times, it may be obscured within hazy clouds or veiled completely. How do you determine its presence in each painting? At what point in your painting process does the sun enter the composition?

A: I am deeply interested in how environments affect us. In my paintings, I am exploring both the psychology of a place and the spiritual sublime it can generate, whether the setting is architecturally planned or shaped by natural processes. Optical phenomena resulting from the interaction of light and matter captivate me. This interest parallels the behavior of particles and the physical dispersion of oil and concrete on the surface of my paintings. For instance, the colors we see in the sky are scattered by atmospheric molecules, causing sunsets to turn the sky pink as shorter-wavelength blues and violets are dispersed, leaving longer-wavelength yellows, oranges, and reds more visible. These visibility and chromatic effects intrigue me profoundly, offering a contemplative perspective that contributes to a sense of meaning and connection to the natural word.

Repeated observations of the same panorama from a fixed point cultivate an intuitive awareness of the sun’s daily path. This practice resembles meditation, requiring patience and attention—sometimes the sun is obscured by clouds, revealing new nuances in the changing colors. In my paintings, the sun’s placement is intuitive. It acts as a guide for developing my seascapes. I visualize it in my mind before translating this image onto the canvas. This spatial and self-awareness helps me understand the sun’s position, even when hidden by clouds.

The choice to include or obscure the sun in my work depends on atmospheric conditions and my intuitive sense of the scene. At the start of my painting process, I observe the horizon and internalize the sun’s position and the play of light across the sea. This contemplation informs the composition. The sun’s presence or absence gradually appears on the canvas, guided by memory and observed light conditions. I use concrete to depict clouds, waves, and the sun’s reflection, creating an ethereal representation of nature as a cemented memory of its fleeting moments. The sun serves as a focal point for reflection, especially during sunrise and sunset, akin to a meditative practice. Whether it is a bright focal point or a subtle suggestion behind clouds, the sun’s placement emerges organically, balancing constancy and change in my seascapes. This focus on the sun and the act of pausing reflect my interest in the meditative nature of observing natural phenomena.

Yoab Vera: Reminiscence will run at Alexander Berggruen (1018 Madison Avenue, Floor 3) from July 10-August 22, 2024.