+questions. answers

carlos fonseca amador

15 pages (canto a la argentina)

estrellita

copy of a copy

franck de las mercedes.
artist.

Fragile: Contains Peace; Fragile: Contains Wisdom; Fragile: Contains Tolerance

Isn't it sweet when someone with something important and profound to say finds the perfect vehicle to carry his or her message forth? As simple as it may sound, the actual occurrence of this kind of confluence is, sadly, quite rare. That is why it is direly important that we know who Franck de Las Mercedes is. That is why it is direly important that we know what Franck de Las Mercedes does.

Fragile: Contains Knowledge; Fragile: Contains Hope: Fragile: Contains Trust

Franck’s “Priority Boxes” project, a non-profit art series, is the perfect example of what can transpire when the right person finds the right platform to say the right things. Each box, sent by mail to anyone who requests one, is both a canvas for a unique abstract painting and a platform for conveying a message. Drawing on lessons learned during his childhood in war-torn Nicaragua and the prodigious artistic talent he developed while coming of age in NYC, Mercedes is in the process of creating a phenomenon that is visceral as it is visual. As appearances on Telemundo, the syndicated cable program LatiNation, and CNN’s En Espanol Radio Show suggest, Franck is tapping into a collective need to feel connected to all that is beautiful, all that is inspirational, all that is empowering. Nice.

+ Tell us a little about your background. What helped shape your perspective and was there a huge transition moving from your native Nicaragua to the States?

Most of my family members were educators under Somoza (Anastasio Somoza Debayle- the former President of Nicaragua), and some sympathized with Somoza, so this made it difficult for us to stay there after the Sandinistas took power in 1979.   I came to the USA in the mid eighties at the age of 12. It was the height of the Counter Revolution, and the Sandinistas were literally snatching kids as young as 12 to send them to fight La Contra on the Nicaraguan borders. The thing I find very interesting about the whole thing is that we came to New York City at the height of the Crack and AIDS epidemics. Our first NYC experience was watching a drug dealer get shot in front of our building over some parking space. We had arrived to a new kind of kind of war. So it was a huge culture shock, I thought we had left violence behind.     

+ Wow what a powerful observation. How did these kinds of experiences shape your personal ethos and did they ultimately lead to art becoming your vehicle for expressing this reality?

I have to tell you, you never think of those experiences when you're living them. One was my country; the other became my country and my hood. They definitely shaped who I became as a person, but I realized that more recently. As an artist, I think my art is really driven by that chaos. I used to want to do more representational art, but my feelings wouldn't translate well, I would then end up in abstraction. I really don't think much about what I am painting, but I become really aware of my feelings, even if I don't understand them. I am convinced that those emotions are all memories that I can't quite describe or put into words. So I paint them. 

+ How do you feel about the term "self-taught?" I ask because you come from a background steeped in the Arts yet I've heard the term used in reference to your work. Do you think that the term is accurate in your case? Or in any case for that matter?

I try not to think about it too much. It used to bother me in the past, but the truth is, just because you're self-taught does not mean you don't study art. In my experience, I took advantage of what the NY Public Art Library had to offer. I remember borrowing huge stacks of videos, from instructional to bio-documentaries, to lectures by proficient artists. Not to mention, the countless Museum and gallery visits.   It does not matter what I think about the term, people are going to have their opinion, and I don't feel being self-taught is something to be defensive about. I do think going to school is important.

+ My first thought after learning about the "Priority Boxes" project was that it was ingenious to take something that is purely practical, a delivery box, and give it so much beauty and significance. How did the idea evolve and are they making the statement that you intended?

Thanks. The boxes came about quite by chance. For a long time I wanted to do a public project that was interactive and accessible to people but not in a "new media" futuristic kind of way. For a while, I had been selling pop art on eBay under a pseudo name and I would clean the brushes onto boxes in which paintings would later be shipped. One day, one of the clerks at the post office (who knew I was an artist) said to me "did you know that your boxes look like works of art?" That totally did it for me. The next step was to make sure that they had a message, which wasn't hard to figure out, since all one has to do was watch the news and see the state of the world and the state of our human condition. It needed to be something that raised a question of our fragility as humans and the fragility of things that we all wish for, like Peace. The art had to be abstract because it is what I do, but tangible so that it could be held by anyone in order to evoke thought and to promote art appreciation at the same time. Having said that, that's why it was important that the boxes, the art was free. The magic for me was to have come up with a concept that was, as you said, "Practical."   In an age of immediacy it was also important that the project was something that takes time to arrive, giving people time to think outside the box. The elements used for the project have been around forever. So I am myself amazed that people regard it as something very fresh. If I had a dollar for every time someone tells me "why didn't I think of that?" I would probably be able to ship more boxes.

priority boxes

+ There is a strong element of self exploration in your work but you also allow space for outside elements (nature, the viewer, the postal service) to influence the outcome. Is this balance between inner and outer forces a recurring or permanent facet of your creative approach?

Well, when painting my abstract work it is definitely about self exploration. It is the very reason why I became a painter, because it allowed me to explore myself. When I paint, I do it alone in my studio with nothing but my emotions and paints. I allow the paint to drip because I like gravity and time to take part in the work. The expressive part for me is showing the work and sending the boxes… presenting the work. The priority boxes fuse elements of painting, sculpture (a box), installation and interaction from the receiver. It all becomes part of the work.

+ I'm really into your portraits and feel that they convey a historical perspective that is marked by a respect for the sacrifice of others. Who are the people that you have looked to over the years for inspiration?

I have painted a few political portraits because I grew up looking at that type of propaganda when I was a kid. I am not a political person at all, but what really attracted me to paint the likes of Sandino, Carlos Fonseca Amador and Castro was the idea that street artists literally would risk their lives painting one of these portraits on a wall. I was really amazed at their bravery and desire to influence change and make a statement for what they believed in. The Castro portrait image I found in some old magazine and I just had to paint it. I thought it was amazing how long he has been around, which explains the cigar in the painting being long . I have to say I've always been inspired and influenced by walls on the streets, by texture, by bills and pasted ads and art that gets torn down and damaged by the weather. I think it is present even in my abstracts. As for artists, I've always been inspired by Hans Hoffman, Joan Mitchell, (Robert) Rauschenberg, ( Jackson) Pollock, Frida Kahlo, Basquiat and Bernard Buffett.   

+ What is next? Are there any particular projects or issues that you are planning to direct your energies toward?

The boxes have been taking much of my time lately. The project is very young still and I don't think I have exhausted it yet. The next step would be to find sponsors for the boxes since I want them to continue to be free. So far the funding for shipping and supplies has come from art sales, sales of my "Handle with Care T-shirts" and donations.  To me it is very important that the boxes reach out to all kinds of people and not just the art world. I am afraid that all the cutbacks in music and art programs in schools can create a generation of kids who will have no appreciation for the arts because they were not exposed to them. So I am directing my energies to making my art accessible and approachable for everyone.  

To see more of Franck’s work, receive additional information on the “Priority Boxes” project and find out how you can help support the non-profit art series , visit http://www.fdlmstudio.com,