Strangers In the Dark : A Chat with Artist Fabian Perez

Fabian Perez is an artist from Argentina who has had quite a unique life. His artwork is a memoir of emotional and pure moments from his childhood and a romantic time that we’ve perhaps only seen in the movies.

He has a signature style and look to his work and he calls his style Neo-emotionalism.

Fabian Perez has also amassed a lot of popularity and high profile work, being commissioned to paint royalty and celebrities. He was the official artist for several Olympic events.

He’s an interesting artist, and his life reads like a fairy tale and we are extremely happy to have been able to conduct this interview.

You can find his work all over the internet by searching for Fabian Perez.

His Facebook page is Fabain Perez Artist, and his Instagram handle is @fabianperez_art

The Interview

Thank you for being here with us, how are you today?

Fantastic. Thank you for your interview!

What was your childhood like, and how did art find you?

My childhood was quite different than the average kids of my neighborhood. My parents raised me with an unusual example of lifestyle. My father ran nightclubs and gambling pools. The gamblers would park their cars away from the house so as to not arouse any suspicion. And I, surrounded by a thick cloud of cigarette smoke, would sell hot dogs and offer them ‘mate’ in exchange for tips.

I’m not sure who found who, I’m sure it was an unintentional process. I guess I needed to express myself, and I started to do it in the way that I felt peace. It’s normal to see kids drawing and painting, but the fact that it came naturally to me makes me feel less frustrated cause I got the results that I had in mind before I started each project.

Was it hard to find your voice or style in the beginning?

It sounds difficult to come up with a recognizable style in these times where everything has been invented, right? But it wasn’t hard for me because I never searched to create a style. At the beginning, it was difficult for me to accept my own style cause it was different than most painters and I thought that I was doing something wrong. Then I started to accept it because unusual or not, that was the way I liked to paint. That was a good thing, artists should create in the way they feel – Art is expression through skills.

What are your inspirations? What do you like to read, watch and listen to?

My inspiration is beauty, in the complete sense of the word. Beauty means class, elegance, intelligence, principals, education, etc. I capture these things when people become themselves, when the acting and personality is not covering the true essence. People are essentially beautiful. The body and their personality are the tools I use to portray the soul. I like to read about spiritualism because it is what helps me to cultivate my spirit. I watch soccer matches, it is what distracts. And I like to listen and play music with my kids.

What is Neo-Emotionalism? Have you seen your movement in the work of others?

My intention is to create a style that is not rigid, Neo Emotionalism will be recognized by the artists who, after creating their work, will simply feel liberated and also by the viewer when they feel the creation in their heart. Yes, many figurative movements have concepts of Neo- emotionalism, and Neo-Emotionalism has concepts of many other movements. For example, some impressionist or expressionist artists could be Neo-Emotionalist too, and vice versa.

What makes your artwork innocent, heartbreaking and mysterious all at the same time?

Maybe the fact that its not pretentious. Its raw and dramatic, sincere and dynamic. Romantic. Romance is my ideal life.

Does art need to have a message or a purpose, or can it be anything?

Could be anything while it’s the true expression of the artist’s soul combined with the ability and skills of the artist to express it. Many artists think that they need to create something that nobody has seen before, but to me, that is an inventor more than an artist. Others explain a good story but the creation does not show the artist’s skills. Art should move viewers through emotions.