David Zolo is an artist born in Medellín, Colombia. He developed his own technique, using roses as a brush, to create amazing paintings inspired by the nature and the farmers from his birth town (the city of the eternal spring); Paintings which transmit joy and the hope of changing the image of violence that Medellín has always had due to conflicts from the past. Also, he’s very much involved with social service by making workshops for the kids from his hometown. He found himself through his art, the best way to communicate his feelings by letting the roses speak for themselves.
How did you get into art?
It all started in France where I had my artistic awakening, and I realized that I could transmit through art, all those things I couldn’t put into words, letting the people explore feelings and all the sensations that an artwork can offer. Even though, I came from a family of designers, where creativity and exploration were always there, living in different environments made me really discover art as a language, the moment I grabbed a rose and realized all the stories a simple painting was able to tell. Later, I also had the opportunity to travel to Argentina, after a long travel through South America, and there, I met the artisan art from the streets of Buenos Aires where I learned to build sculptures keeping the roses as the main theme.
How would you describe your style? What makes your work special?
I wouldn’t really define my work, because once you define something, you are setting boundaries to it, I would like my art style to keep evolving every day without any limits, but if I had to describe my style, I would use the word “organic” given the fact that I use roses as a brush, letting every stroke flows as it was alive, and also “spontaneous” since every rose pattern is different from the other. I would also find my style to be romantic and poetic, since every rose completed a life cycle leaving its mark on the canvas and telling its own story. I find my work special due to the mix of factors that made me an artist, my birthplace, and the reason why I decided to speak for all those flower farmers who have a story to tell, transforming an image and let it bloom.
How do you go about developing your work?
I start off by picturing a design in my head and then, I try to portray it by using the roses, or any other technique that is required to reach the concept that I have in mind. Although roses have become a trademark to me, I also like to explore different techniques as you can see in my artwork. The light is also a very important factor in my creations, because I am convinced that the different ranges of light reveal details that may be hidden. That’s why I include fluorescent tones that can be seen with other kinds of lights, so the viewer can appreciate the artwork from many points of view, and discover different sensations every time they see it.
Who or what influences you?
I have been influenced by many things throughout my artistic life, but I can say that I am mostly influenced by the motivation of telling the other side of the story of my birthplace, changing the negative image that it can have abroad, for a positive one. I am also influenced by the experiences lived in all those 29 countries that I’ve had the opportunity to travel, among Europe and America, and the memories that I have as a child, attending the “Feria de las Flores’’ (Festival of the Flowers) in Medellin. I can’t deny that a major impact in my life is the loving memory of my mother and her way to find joy in the simplicity of life. I also mention the influence of writers like Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Émile Zola, and artists like Fernando Zóbel and the poet Francis Cabrel.
Make us curious. What are you planning to do next?
Life passes so fast in front of our very eyes; it feels like yesterday when I had my first exposition in London at the Brick Lane gallery and then twice in Art Basel in Miami. In the future, I am planning to keep up with my social service with children, finding a way to approach them to art and motivate them to keep on going. Soon, I will also travel to Italy to drop my next collection inspired by the Italian culture, with paintings, sculptures and a clothing pieces. During this experience I would like to be more conscious of time, enjoy it and connect even more with my art, being able to showcase a connection between time and the joy of being, finding the simplicity but telling all those stories and emotions behind my art.
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