Today we’d like to introduce you to Rodolfo Peraza.
Rodolfo, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am what you can tag as an Internet – media artist. In the beginning of my work I started using school computers for creating the graphics for my public art interventions. I am interested in the public space, and now use computers and the Internet for almost all my pieces. In 2007, still living in Cuba, I started using software to create game arts, net art pieces, and AI experiments. My first video game was “Play and Learn: The three prevent of seeing the forest”, using the Cuban school book Manual de Educacion Formal (Manual of Formal Education). I converted the content of the textbook into an arcade style game, where the text can shoot you. From game art development and other interactive pieces, I went on to create visualizations of Internet usage. I use web traffic patterns between countries and across oceans to show how we are connected. I see the Internet as a medium, but also as a public space. I am very interested in the exploration of what is called the ubiquity of the digital world.
While in Cuba, I received my MFA from the Higher Institute of Arts in Havana, and went on to start Fanguito Estudio, an independent artist-run space that focuses on Media art.
Currently, I am working on ART+HACK+DATA. My hope is that this is the first of an annual worldwide event that brings together media artists and tech enthusiasts.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Being an artist is seldom a smooth road. Challenging traditional art constructs and pushing artistic boundaries can be challenging, but ultimately rewarding. There is a constant need to find funding for artistic ventures, as it is for every artist. Therefore, I am grateful to the businesses and foundations in Miami that have provided generous support.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Bakehouse Art Complex – what should we know?
As an artist, a constant in my work are questions of isolation, loneliness, and identity. I go beyond the confines of geography through the use of technology. Using the Internet, social media, street signs and animation, I have created a body of work that explores the moral, spiritual, and social modes of conduct governing society. My work is currently on display at PAMM in the exhibition “Spots, Dots, Pips, Tiles: An Exhibition About Dominoes” and in Los Angeles at SIGGRAPH 2017.
The ART+HACK+DATA is a three day event with presentations at PAMM and hands-on workshops at the Bakehouse Art Complex (BAC). The work we create will then be on display at the BAC in the Audrey Love Gallery. I am really excited for the event as we have experts from all over the world coming and I will enjoy meeting up with other new media artists, internet thinkers and makers.
Pricing:
- Art+Hack+Data Presentations: Free
- Art+Hack+Data Workshops: Free
Contact Info:
- Address: Bakehouse Art Complex
561 NW 32nd St.
Miami, FL 33127 - Website: arthackdata.net
- Phone: 305-576-2828
- Email: info@bacfl.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebakehouseartcomplex/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BakehouseArtComplex
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/BACMiami/
Image Credit:
All photos taken by Rodolfo Peraza
ART+HACK+DATA Team photo includes: Olivia Solis, Maria Rodriguez, Jommy Barban, Edilberto Pelegrino, Rodolfo Peraza
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