Luján Marcos

1. What made you choose art as a profession?
Sometimes you have to know when to give in. I simply couldn’t avoid taking this path and then once on it I didn’t want to.

2. How would you define your work?
Sentimental. Autobiographical. Subtle criticism, at times ironic. Sometimes with a lyrical tinge.

3. What subjects are you interested in?
I’m not interested in any specific subjects. It’s more an interest in abstract ideas that vary depending on the stage or phase I’m living in. You could say I’m interested in identity in terms of the medium, the cracks that can appear in closed definitions and the perception of the flow of time.

4. What resources – formal or otherwise – do you use in your work?
It varies depending on each project. In fact, I’m quite spontaneous when it comes to resources, although they often end up being audiovisual pieces or installations.

5. What relationship does your work have with reality? What are your raw materials?
They coexist. I equate my work to my own reality. My raw materials are the perception of this reality, rather than reality itself. I don’t believe in the idea of a single reality.

6. What, according to you, is the point of art?
I can’t give a concrete answer to an abstract question, although I can say what point it has for me: I use it as a tool for knowledge (also self-knowledge) and as a way of relating to others based on other codes.

7. How do you hope the public will receive your work? What audience are you aiming at?
I’d like not to expect anything, and maybe part of me doesn’t, but another part looks for a certain degree of acceptance or receptiveness. I don’t believe an audience exists.

8. What qualifications have you got? What do you value most from your time in education?
I graduated in fine art. What I value most from this time in education is what I learnt, which isn’t the same as what I was taught. I particularly appreciate my experiences and the bonds forged with those I shared them with.

9. How would you define your current professional situation? And in the future?
Active. In the future I hope to remain active, carry out more ambitious projects and watch my own work evolve, amongst other things.

10. Many artists say it’s difficult to make a living from their work; how do economic considerations affect you when it comes to work? Do you think this has a bearing on your work?
I don’t think my work depends on these issues, although they may have a bearing in terms of materials or limit the scope of certain projects, but in essence I don’t think they shape it.

11. What do you look for or expect from your relationship with promoters and curators? What advantages and difficulties have you found with these relationships?
What I look for might not be the same as what I expect. What I expect is a meeting of minds and an understanding. What I look for is creative activity as the fruit of this meeting and understanding.
You can have the same advantages and difficulties in your relationships with promoters and curators as with any other professionals, and these relationships are often more personal than professional.

12. What do you think sets the arts scene in Madrid apart from elsewhere? What would you say are its pluses and minuses?
I suppose precisely the fact that it’s in Madrid rather than anywhere else. The tiny details that make up the character of a city, its people and its scene, its path, the trail left by its past… these aren’t always the same. The same and very different things can happen in each city at the same time. There may be different factors at play and it’s hard to compare. On the plus side, I’d stress the fair amount of activity going on here. However, this activity is split into tiny groups that are often unaware of anyone else’s existence and there are no interconnections. This could also be seen as a positive thing, though.