Watch video excerpts of Ruth Copland interviewing Enrique at his inspiring studio in LA: Enrique Martinez Celaya and Ruth Copland Video
What does the phrase “keep your actions faithful” mean? And why does Enrique have it written on his studio walls? What is the difference between taking creative risk and just shaking things up for the sake of it? Why is the art world a particular hotbed for narcissism and what might the antidote be? How important is art in our education system and does it matter how it’s taught?
Ruth Copland asks Enrique these questions and more in the Final Part of her Special 3-Part Series of Conversations with the award-winning, internationally renowned artist and author.
Listen to podcast here Enrique Martinez Celaya Pt 3 | It’s A Question of Balance (broadcast Feb 10)
Award-winning Enrique Martínez Celaya trained as an artist as well as a physicist, and early in his career invented several patented laser devices before abandoning physics for art. He works predominantly in painting, but also in sculpture, photography, poetry and prose. His art work has been widely exhibited internationally and is held in the public collections of international institutions around the world. Enrique is the author of papers in art, poetry, philosophy, and physics and several books including ‘Collected Writings and Interviews 1990-2010’, and ‘On Art and Mindfulness: Notes from the Anderson Ranch’. He has worked in collaboration with scientists, entrepreneurs, writers, musicians and architects, including the Canadian rock-band, Cowboy Junkies, the poet and Nobel-Prize-winning chemist, Roald Hoffmann, and the novelist Mary Rakow.
Ruth Copland spoke to Enrique at his inspiring studio in Los Angeles, with multiple vast rooms both to paint in and display his work, as well as a small library, and a beautiful, lush garden featuring some of his sculptures. Born in Cuba and raised in Spain and Puerto Rico, Enrique began his formal art training at the age of 12 when he became apprentice to a painter. He developed an enduring interest in writing and philosophy whilst in the turbulent cultural and political environment of 1970s Puerto Rico. In the USA, he gained degrees in physics and art from Cornell, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara, and attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. He is the first person to hold the position of Provost Professor of Humanities and Arts at the University of Southern California, is a Montgomery Fellow at Dartmouth College, and a Fellow of the Los Angeles Institute for the Humanities. Enrique is committed to the education and formation of artists, and sponsors programmes for children, provides scholarships for artists, and assists schools in developing their curriculum. To this end, in 1998, he founded Whale & Star Press, which publishes books on art, poetry, art practice, and critical theory.
For more info and to hear previous shows click here It’s A Question of Balance
Photo: Portrait of the artist in his studio, Culver City, CA, 2017 by Theo & Juliet Photography
