florez is a colectivo futurist

  • Florez
  • Illustrator / DIY Artist
  • Buenos Aires, AR
  • Website | Flickr
We travel down south to Buenos Aires, Argentina to introduce you to the wonderful and bizarre works of Florez. We reached out to Jonatan Florez after stumbling onto his tumblr and being mesmerized by the punk quality of his works. He initially started toying around with photoshop in 2004 as a hobby, but eventually his interests for music, painting, screen printing, and other creative outputs led him to the design of posters for various local music gigs, as well as delving into the world of DIY exhibitions and zines.

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CF: Tell us about your background as an artist. When did you realize you wanted to be one and what steps did you take to move in that direction?

I have always been curious and always will be, but I guess after leaving high school and not finding much to do, drawing became a big part of my daily life and that impulse started spreading into other disciplines quickly. As I started to become a fixture at local hardcore punk shows, I began to digest loads of useful information that I could use to beat daily boredom. It still works to this day.

As I’m writing this at 5:37 AM, I’ve just woken up from a horrible nightmare where I was unable to escape from a creature resembling a rat-man that was jumping on top of me; I woke up screaming and agitated. Unable to calm down and go back to sleep, I started drawing. Even though I was unable to come up with the human rat, I was still able to calm down. Though I still have to find a way to draw this thing.

CF: How would you define your style? Are there any artists out there that have, currently or in the past, influenced your work?

I’d say my work is a sort of “absurd minimalism”, animal-like perhaps. I’d never given it much thought in the past. Some early inspirations were old flyers, fanzines, and wildlife encyclopedias that I found at home. Eduardo Recife became another inspiration further down the line.

“Buenos Aires is a comfortable place to witness all kinds of mutations, while you think about how to escape from it all in a not so distant future”

CF: Tell us about what’s brewing in your local arts scene. Are there opportunities available for emerging artists to show their work?

There’s a few places here and there. I’m part of a small circle of active artists and we’ve created a movement that is constantly chasing its own tail, but I think there’s a fertile complicity behind it all where each individual can create concrete opportunities depending on his or her interests.

I would recommend checking out Espacio Mi Casa, Libreria Cobra in Villa Crespo, and Espacio Circulo Felino.

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CF: If you could choose a soundtrack for your work, what would you choose?

A piercing bass line on the left, a tropical drum on the right, and anything that can melt on the middle channel. I’m actually working on a music project which you can follow here.

“early inspirations came from old flyers, fanzines, and wildlife encyclopedias that I found at home”

CF: What is your favorite thing about living in Buenos Aires?

It’s a comfortable place to witness all kinds of mutations, while you think about how to escape from it all in a not so distant future.

CF: Are you currently working on any new projects?

A few months ago Wilde Horses fanzines finished editing a book with a few of my collages and illustrations. We’re currently working on getting it published.

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