Roger Danilo Carmona – 2023

Primary Medium

Painting

Address

Artist Statement

In my current body of work, I find myself deeply rooted in a family of storytellers, poets, and amateur comedians. They have passed down a vibrant tradition that inspires me to express myself through painting. It has become my chosen method of learning, a way to dive into the realms of memory and discovery. I harness the power of painting to create mnemonic devices, just like the techniques used by World Memory Champions. These visual constructs help me remember the language of my stories, their structures, and the vibrant colors that bring them to life. Painting, for me, is like a thought experiment. It allows me to transcribe data and take on the role of a translator, especially as a Nicaraguan-American millennial. I aspire to be a geomancer, a visionary, and a magical realist, aiming to depict the barriers of communication that arise from social anxiety. To achieve this, I paint using invented languages, seeking to capture the essence of people. When you come across my paintings, I want you to wander and engage in a dialogue with yourself. They act as a guide through ambiguity, allowing us to delve into the intricacies of our miscommunications. From my perspective, the distillation of form within the realm of abstraction is crystal clear. However, I intentionally leave the destination of my artistic expression open to interpretation. Materiality is a vital component in shaping the language of each painting. I meticulously create binders, materials, and techniques from scratch, tailoring them to suit the unique language of each artwork. The resulting collection tells a narrative, shedding light on our daily struggles with miscommunication. It invites us to playfully view form and color as dynamic characters on a stage. As an artist, I carefully select pigments that convey the attitude and atmosphere of the work. These paintings serve as a record of the historical processes of painting, intertwined with instances of misinterpretation that occur within the language of art. They mirror the challenges we face in effectively communicating within society. By juxtaposing historical and modern pigments and materials, my work becomes an enthusiastic exploration, akin to a passionate review or the whimsical research of a clown-scientist. Through this exploration, I aim to uncover how the act of painting may have played a role in the evolution of our human communication abilities.

Links

Website: http://www.rogercarmona.com
Instagram: @thewrongcolor