"I started painting bananas to exoticize myself; it started as a joke and developed into a commentary on belonging.' https://clarkhulingsfund.org/finalists/gonzalo-fuenmayor/ (Gonzalo Fuenmayor) is a multi-disciplinary artist who has worked in painting and photography, but is best known for his charcoal drawings which, in their precision, resemble black-and-white photographs. He is also a 2014 CHF Grant Finalist. His comments on the role of the artist in an emigre environment (and in general) are fascinating.
ContentsArtist as foreigner/diaspora: exoticizing oneself & belonging to a place
Artist as historicist: the banana trade between West & Central/South America
Artist as commentator: the role of the artist in politics and art as vicarious subversion
Artist as tease: playfulness and deconstructing the phallic image
Marketing yourself in an environment of creative misunderstanding
A public internal conversation vs. dialogue with your audience
The fear of prostituting oneself by entering the marketplace
Discipline and Ambition - the habits of consistency

For more info on Gonzalo and his work, visit http://gonzalofuenmayor.com (gonzalofuenmayor.com)