Today we’d like to introduce you to Mauricio Avayu.
Al Sundel, a New York-based writer who reviewed Mauricio’s work and remarked: It is fitting that, in an age of time-space union, Avayu has created his own modern vision of ancient Judaic traditions. His major themes are faith and continuity. From Genesis to the Talmud. In a vast array of masterworks that span chronological time. Thus, a pre-rabbinic scholar, with the Book in hand, can embrace a congregant with an expression that broadcasts one of the crucial essences of Judaism: compassion. It is all low key, like the Mona Lisa’s smile. It appears to encompass both the prophetic and rabbinic ages of Judaism, in style clearer than crystal. Prophet, sage or Talmudic scholars are all compressed for the seeing eye as compassion.
In the world of today, when each day we confront suffering—emotional, physical or financial—it is around the work of an artist that conveys compassion what unites us today. Afternoons with infinite time to invent freely are my best childhood memories. From a very young age, I was involved in various creative processes. My mother left all kinds of “waste” outside her room every morning, from perfume bottles to shoe boxes. Everything “useless.” Without fail, I was in charge of recovering these “treasures” and accumulating them in my space. “Then I would start recycling them and creating all kinds of things with them. I remember my father, a tailor, constantly taking models for the garments that would be made in his factory. Every piece of cardboard that fell to the floor was reused; it seems that for me the ‘discarded’ things had an extraordinary value over the new ones ”, he says.
One of his great virtues is always trying to see the good side of things. For this reason, it tends to seek the most difficult paths, understanding that “mistakes are only stages before reaping true achievements.” One of his defects is that many times his fantasies exceed him; “I see the projects before they are finalized. That is why it is very familiar to me to undertake many things at the same time. In my painting, I am tremendously perfectionist and crafty. However, in daily life, I am very relaxed and permissive, “My biggest obsession? Constantly be putting obstacles and always be left with the feeling of having been able to give more.
In my curriculum, there are several exhibitions in Chile and several countries, starting with the Palacio de la Moneda with the Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, to later be invited by the Diego Riveras Museum and President Vicente Fox for individual exhibitions in Mexico. Since the end of 2019, he has been living in Miami Florida, where he has already exhibited individually in two important cultural centers.
Has it been a smooth road?
Thanks to God it has not been difficult for me. I studied for almost nine years and in my first exhibition, they did a television report on me. In all my shows, I end up selling 80% of the works. My teacher used to say, “beauty always opens a road.” The difficult thing in my case was to assume that my choice would be the painting.
We’d love to hear more about your art.
As the Renaissance painted, my technique requires starting with a drawing of great perfection. Then we proceed to fixate and then apply many layers or veils of oil. The tones are achieved by overlapping layers, unlike the French technique in which pigments were mixed, with a more textured result and finally dirtier in color.
The great advantage lies in the immense precision of the details and purity almost comparable to a stained glass window. The real struggle is that you need great patience to achieve an exquisite craft with drawing, drawing layer by layer and the enormous number of hours of work that the paint consumes.
I believe in the colors of the works of the classical Flemish painters or the Italian Renaissance that contain shades that only the passage of five centuries could give them. With them, in some way, I manage to capture works with history and legend. I would define my style as abstract realism. Somehow I seek to approach realism almost obsessively, but the result corresponds to a reality passed through the filter of my life experiences.
At first, I started painting universal and Chilean mythology. Little by little, I discovered that in Judaism, I would have an inexhaustible source of thematic inspiration. I always knew that legend, magic and mythology would be in my work. I think that even the most pragmatic can be moved by what is beyond his earthly logic. I was greatly surprised and excited to study the Midrashim and the Torah. Every time I read them, I began to see them in images.
There is always something hidden to unveil: from sacred writings to hidden characters. There is nothing already chewed for the observer. “The Torah Mural “basicly consists in a fully illustrating of the Torah or Pentateuch (five books of Moses). Each of the five books (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) will measure 32 feet long by 6.5 feet high, finally adding up to a 165-feet-long mural.
Each of these books will be divided into eight parts (50 inches X 80 inches ). That is the same Mathematical proportion given by God to Moses for the construction of the Ark of the Covenant (2.5 elbows x 1, 5 elbows). This will make the travel of the murals easier and will give us the possibility of, displayed in a circle shaped, with the idea to join the beginning with the end.
It is important to emphasize that this is a project that has never been executed in the history of mankind, neither from the thematic perspective nor in terms of its scale. For the first time, we fully illustrate each and every detail described in the Torah. Imagine that when the work will be finished, you will be able to stand in the middle of a 164-foot perimeter circle, and rotate 360 degrees and see the complete Torah in images.
This mural will undoubtedly be a tremendous cultural and spiritual contribution for the world; I feel that until now each and every one of my previous works was a preparation for this moment. There are three points that rules my focus in my paints: Jewish identity embodied in oil like the old masters, A family heritage to pass among generations, Jewish continuity trough art.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
The city of Aventura has a lot of Judaism, a lot of tradition and spirituality. From the first day, I was received with open arms, either to exhibit my works as well as for commissions. We are very happy to belong to this great family.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mauricioavayu.com
- Email: mauricioavayu26@gmail.com
- Instagram: mauricioavayu
- Facebook: Mauricio Avayu
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