ART E, CULT URA, SO CI ED AD Y D EST I NO S
SKYLER LASSO Felipe Echeverry, known by the name LaSsO, began his career as an architect in his native city of Cali in Colombia. In 2015, he chose to pivot from a successful career in architectural design to his true passion: painting. Echeverry moved to New York and immersed himself in the city’s worldrenowned art scene. In his works, LaSsO re-envisions motifs, metaphors and imagery experienced through different periods of the artist’s life, combined with tropical flowers and plants to create an uncanny integration between these seemingly disparate sources. In 2018, LaSsO teamed up with Saks Fifth Avenue and Good Luck Dry Cleaners to exhibit the artworks during New York Fashion Week. A selection of LaSsO’s works were also showcased in the window displays of Valentino and Issey Miyake. In 2017, LaSso was included in ArtNet’s list of “10 Rising Street Artists Who Are Taking the Art Form Beyond Banksy.”
2. What pushed you into being an artist? I could be a cliché and say that I've always been an artist, but aren't we all at some point? We all go through those stages. Give a child a crayon and it will create a masterpiece. I started this way, but I can also say that I started through my formal education in Architecture. I was always passionate about creating and blending with my surroundings, hence my degree in architecture and landscaping. I always loved art as a subject, especially pop art, but my need to take the jump into a full-time artist was an impulsive decision I made during a very challenging and confusing moment in my life. I could say art saved me and I owe that to my wife and to New York City. 3.What does art mean to you? It is my world, my every day. Without art, I wouldn't know what to do with myself. I can't see myself doing anything else. 4. What are you trying to show the world with your art? Everything I have to say about the world, I am trying to share how I see life – I want my art to be as distinctive as my voice, I want people to see my work and immediately recognize it whether it be a full painting or two color lines on a canvas. 5. How do you create your art? I observe everything around me and distill it into a play of shapes, colors, and tone variations. I also go to museums a lot and study the masters, I study their techniques, I watch documentaries, movies, and read articles, all of that is part of the process. 6. What's next for you 2019 and beyond? Growth! I want to reach more people and places, become more international, keep sharing my thoughts through my art, along with my partners on Avant Gallery we have a lot of plans for 2019, you'll have to wait and see... if I may give you a sneak, the new gallery opening in March in New York City will be amazing.
Share your passion —
1. Where does your creative inspiration come from? My inspiration comes from everything around me. However lately I've been closely inspired by memories and travels, it's all about looking back into my life and how I've approached it. It is my way of showing the world how life's colors manifest through my eyes. Some years ago, I was going through a self-discovery process through my paintings and I was trying to find a way to transmit all that energy. I finally found my inspiration in a vague memory of my past, a happy and colorful place – my grandparent's backyard. My first collection was born out of this memory, lively colors, nature, and pop culture, all of it alive and decaying all at once in an endless cycle.
7. What do you think about the current local and global art scene? I think we are witnessing a new movement and it's exciting to be a part of it. I love all types of art expressions. That's all I have to say. 8. How do you navigate the art world? If I am being honest, social media and Instagram was, and is, the best platform at the moment to not only submerge yourself in what's happening in the art world but to gain exposure. I've used this platform a lot, but I am also traditional. I like to go to Art openings and events, meet other artists and collectors and talk to people, it is not about "networking" for the sole purpose of doing so, but being interested in getting to know the people in the industry. Everyone has something to teach and something to learn from you. 9. What current art trends are you following? I don't really follow any. I am aware and pay attention to what's emerging, but I don't ever want to get too focused on that. 10. What artists do you admire and or have inspired you? It would be hard to narrow it down but there are some which have made a special impact in my life and career like De Kooning, Cy Twombly, Julian Schnabel, and Oscar Murillo are my favorites, the latter is a Colombian artist that I really admire and love, but of course I have to say, Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat. 11. What do you believe makes your art stand out from the rest? It's my work, I don't think it has to have "something" to make it stand out, it is simply genuine because it is a representation of who I am. 12. What has been your experience in Mexico either as a visitor or with the culture? It has always been a top dream destination for me, I have a lot of Mexican friends and I truly love the culture, the people, the food, we are so familiar and similar in many ways, just like Mexico, Colombia is full of life and color. www.revistabcm.com
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