Magda Love on Being an Artist, Staying Focused, and Being Prepared - Ep 07
ON THIS EPISODE
On this episode of First Coat we have Magda Love. Magda is an artist originally from Argentina and has been in NYC for 15 years. Her work can be seen all over the world on the street and in art galleries. I spoke to Magda about her fine art practice, her public art practice, her tips for doing commissions, her mural process, doing community-based murals. We also talked about making money as an artist, staying focused, and being Latina and what that means right now.
This interview was recorded in May, 2020.
LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE HERE 👇🏾
LINKS
Culturas Hybridas by Néstor García Canclini; in English: Hybrid Cultures
Guest | Magda Love, Artist
Born in Argentina, Magda Love has lived in New York City for more than a decade. Mostly know by her colorful street art and big public works. The artist forms deeply textured, often ferocious, narratives joining nostalgic images with emotional moments. Her aim is to inspire dialogue about personal experience and prompt a thoughtful pause in the roller coaster of life. Her work, inspired by her travels, her memories, exposes vulnerability, strength, nostalgia, sorrow and joy.
There is power in the both juxtaposition of media and juxtaposition of individual pieces in Magda’s oeuvre. She has painted murals in Buenos Aires, Guadalajara, Mexico City, New York, Cuernavaca, Tulum, Playa del Carmen and Wynwood Miami. Some of her gallery work include her solo exhibition at Gowanus Print Lab, group shows at the Scope Foundation, Vice Gallery Miami, Freshly Baked Gallery, RoX Gallery ( Happy Hearts Foundation) Exit Room, IFAC New York, Residency Unlimited at Cutlog Art Fair, Miguel Paredes Gallery, Peanut Underground, BOOM, The Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, and The Urban Folk Art Gallery. She has participated of mural festivals like Welling Court, Meeting of Styles Mexico and Wynwood Block.
Some of her commissioned murals clients include Brooklyn Industries, Nu Hotel , Modern Sky Music Festival , Governors Ball Music Festival, Vidiots TV, The Surfrider Foundation NYC Chapter, The Vault – Miami, Build it Green NYC, Burger Joint Buenos Aires, The Library (NYC), Elemental Store Miami curated by Adjust Gallery, WIP Nightclub, Suite 135 and Gowanus Print Lab.
Her work has been featured in Complex Magazine, New York Ink, 12 Canvases documentary, Art is Life Documentary, News 12, Time Out NY, Vandalog, Ar Nerd New York, Brooklyn Street Art, 12oz Prophet, Brooklyn Eagle, The Brooklyn Paper, Street Art NYC, All City Canvas Blog, Buenos Aires Street Art, DNA Info, The Brownstowner, XO Magazine to name a few.
Follow Magda Love on Instagram (@magdaloveart, #magdalove) and check out her website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.
Your Host | Stephanie Eche, CEO & Founder of Distill Creative
Stephanie Eche is an artist and art consultant based in Brooklyn, NYC.
Follow Stephanie on Instagram (@distillcreative or @stephanie_eche), Twitter (@stephanie_eche), YouTube (Distill Creative), LinkedIn, and check out her art website.
Support First Coat by backing us on our Patreon.
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Stephanie Eche 00:02
Welcome to First Coat. Where we explore public realm art, how it's made and why it matters. I'm your host Stephanie Eche, an artist and entrepreneur based in Brooklyn, New York. I run Distill creative, where I curate and produce site specific art projects for real estate developers. I focus on creating more equitable and inclusive projects and I want to get more exposure for the artists and developers doing this work. This week on First Coat we have Magda Love. Born in Argentina, Magda has lived in New York City for more than a decade. She's mostly known by her colorful street art and big public works. Her aim is to inspire dialogue about personal experience and prompt a thoughtful pause and the roller coaster of life. She's had many commissioned murals with clients who include Brooklyn Industries, Nu Hotel, Modern Sky Music Festival, Governor's Ball Festival, The Surfrider Foundation NYC and many more organizations and businesses. Her work has also been featured in Complex Magazine, New York Ink, 12 Canvases documentary, Art is Life documentary Time Out New York and many other places. I spoke to Magda about her fine art practice, her public art practice, her mural process, how she integrates herself into new communities all the time, what it's like to feel like an outsider, and how to make a living as an artist. Magda Love also gives tips for working on a commissioned project and she also gives some great tips for organizations and real estate developers or businesses who are commissioning a public art project. We also talk about being Latina and what that means right now. We've recorded this interview a few months ago, and I really think some of the things that I talked about with Magda when we recorded this interview have really influenced my own art practice. So, yeah, just editing this, this episode was really nice because I got to revisit this conversation and kind of put, put some dots together. Magda Love has been a personal inspiration to me and my own art practice and life, honestly, and I am just so excited to share this conversation, so here it is.
Stephanie Eche 02:03
Welcome to First Coat. I'm so excited to have Magda Love here today. You may know Magda from her colorful street art on Instagram, we will be talking about a little bit, her immersive installations or her artwork, as seen in galleries. I regularly walk by her murals in Brooklyn, but I actually met her at one of her solo shows in the Lower East Side. Magda is from Argentina, and she's been based in New York City for I think, the past 10 years or so.
Magda Love 02:28
Yeah, 15. Long time, 15.
Stephanie Eche 02:33
And she's currently back in Bruno’s Aires, and yeah, thank you so much for being here today.
Magda Love 02:37
Thank you so much for having me. It's such a great thing to talk to you again in these crazy times.
Stephanie Eche 02:43
Yeah, it's nice to see you in your space and how's it going over there?
Magda Love 02:49
Going. I think, I’m trying to remain positive, but the lockdown here is very strict. So a lot of shops are closed, and we don't really have Amazon, so it's been hard to get a handle of art supplies. Even though I had days I didn't feel creative at all and I'm like, I hate this, I hate everything that's happening, and you know, I also have days that are super productive and I, you know, I started painting seven new paintings, and I have many, many little stuff on paper and sketched a lot, so, at least it has been productive. Just trying to do what is under my control, that is everything I have in my roof or my hands. So, try to use that to I don't know, to stay positive. That's really basically all we can do.
Stephanie Eche 03:38
You've painted on all kinds of surfaces. When I was researching your work more- because I've seen it and I've seen your work in person, but I didn't really, I guess, I'm really impressed by all the types of things you've, you've painted on. It's not just canvas and walls, but sails and skateboards and shipping containers and protest posters. In an article about a mural you did in South Florida, you said ‘I think about it, just like a big piece of paper when I paint a five story building, it's a gigantic piece of paper when I paint a car, it's a gigantic piece of metallic paper’. How do you approach different surfaces and how has that changed now that you're working on canvas again?
Magda Love 04:21
First of all, you have to know about the material that you choose, the, you know, the material and I think that comes with trial and error. For example, for the sail it's also challenging because you have to think that it's going to be exposed to a lot of water and be exposed to a lot of sun, so you have to, you know, do your research and think about what's the, what's gonna be the best, the best brand- I actually use spray paint but for example the Montana BLACK, for me, has the colors with the most pigment, you know, so the colors, the bright colors last way longer than, in my experience, of any other brand. So I use that even though, you know, they’re medium pressure, they don’t go- but you know, they're not like the 94 or the GOLD, that they come out really slow. You don't have the same, you know, you get used to it, and you handle it kind of the same way, but it's not as manageable as the really, really low pressure. But you know, I love the colors, so I use, I used that brand for most of the sail. Using, in some cases, for example, it's one obviously exterior, but for example, I realized when I was painting the car that not only I used oil based, but the ones that they were like, I never used gloss paint, but for that the glossy paint really worked for the car, for example. So you know, I think trying different combos when you try something new is the best way, but yeah, it's going to take a lot of frustration and a lot of trial and error, you know? I do a little bit of research, but I guess I'm kind of like an empiricist, you know, I learn everything the hard way. So it’s just like, oh dammit, I have to run to Home Depot again, you know, so basically that, that's how it is. I think also the great thing of printing different stuff is how people can experience what are you trying to say through your art in a different sort of message, right? Because it's not the same thing to walk into an installation than seeing a car going by. So I always think about how each thing that I do can sort of compliment to that experience that I want people to have when they look at my art. Yeah, that's why I also love painting different stuff because, you know, it gets too boring to do the same thing all over again. Even with my canvas, sometimes I make them round, sometimes I make them oval, just to change up stuff around or I do the canvas and I do installation piece that are connected to the canvas, just sort of spice things up all the time. That's pretty much my personality.
Stephanie Eche 06:48
Can you tell us more about the sculptures you've been working on?
Magda Love 06:51
Yeah, actually, you know, not a lot of people know, but my father is a sculptor, and I grew up sort of seeing him doing work, you know, and I always thought it's a really challenging experience. Let's say paint, if you make a mistake, you can cover it, patch it up, paint it again, but you know, if you’re sculpting wood and you mess something up, I mean, just, you can't glue that piece back. It just doesn't work that way. No, I think that's a different talk, but it’s also a really beautiful thing, when I won that award in Southern Vermont Arts Center, and I was invited to do the residency and I had a solo show. During a month I worked in sculpting these huge totem poles, and I'm not sure if you've seen it, but there's two huge totem poles with these wings and, and, I mean, first, the smell of wood really reminds me of my, my childhood, so it brings a certain nostalgia for me, and I, and just feel like oh you, you have the tree, literally, because we picked the tree from a fallen down farm and the local farmers helped me drive it to there. And I kind of really liked the very different experience of working with wood, it really felt like more part of nature, and the name of the show was Home Sweet Home, so it really spoke about how we take care of our resources and, and just local decisions that we do. And, I mean, and I think as artists also, to, in our practice to not only, not only embrace the cause, but also how our practice can become more sustainable, right. So we pick the tree, they drag it into the grounds, having to learn a lot of different tools that I mean, I knew I'm pretty hardcore with power tools, I love them. But you know, with different kind of woods that we use, a kind I find that is really solid- I mean, I was carving for one month, so that was definitely out of my comfort zone, it was really physically demanding. I like the, also, the idea of the 3D space thought, you know, it's very different than painting something flat. You know, when I did the totem poles, you got to think about the sides, and they're like, oh, this is going to be totem and people are going to walk all around it. You have to have a very different attention to detail. You have to think in terms of the function, and especially when you're such a big sculpture, you got to think about in terms of safety, you got to think about in terms of function, and we're not usually worried about a mural falling on top of somebody's head. So, there's a lot of other technical stuff that you have to think, but I feel like in a 3D medium, it's almost like, let’s say you could think about a car being a sculpture, artists just didn't make it. There is a different experience on the 3D and I feel like when it’s an object in a way that you can hold, I don't know, it just feels more, I don't know, more like a belonging, I don't know. I kind of really enjoy and I love the idea that it's also wood, because I feel like it's kind of alive. I mean, literally, you know, I mean what exactly is still alive anymore, go through the cycle of life, even when it's reduced by the human being, you know, but this was the first place in the U.S. of eliminating totally Native Americans, so I thought to make homage to all those people that lived there in that time. Obviously, there's a little bit of a controversy how a person should not do something that is a symbol or so, you know, sacred for natives in the North West, but I took it as it doesn't look anything traditional, it obviously looks very much like my art, and sort of like a homage to, an Argentinian homage to, you know, those that lived there, you know, especially when you read a little more history and everything. The people from Vermont and the director of the center, they were so supportive. I think they were panicking, because they were like, ‘how are you going to do that’. You know, after we carve it all, and we put it up, you know, try to set up the wings, so they were super heavy, you know, the thing is really tall, it's like 14 feet high. So we’re like ‘how are we not going to kill anybody that comes to visit the Arts Center, what if it falls’. I mean, also in my mind, also, you have to think about extreme weather conditions because it's under snow half of the time, so we got to protect it with- So yeah, I’m trying to use also this lockdown to learn a lot more about construction stuff, consulting with contractors and stuff, because I want to do more sculptures here. And I originally came to Argentina to do a few projects and you know, ended up here in the lockdowns. You know, wanted to see, you know, family and everything, which we can't now, which is hard. But, the great thing also here, we have universities here, public universities are free, so there's a lot of classes and everything to do for free. So I'm thinking, considering maybe learning more about materials and you know, construction stuff. And you know, my dad is here too, so he knows a lot about that, so I can squeeze knowledge out of him while I'm here. My mother has a gigantic pile of wood, so I actually already started sculpting a few things. And for installation, I started trying, doing like, papier-mâché sculptures just to add details or whatever. So, I'm in an experimenting mood now. So, because I feel like I’ll start getting bored if I just paint the canvas now, so I need to try doing different things.
Stephanie Eche 12:23
I'm excited to see your work in a few months. See all the things.
Magda Love 12:28
Yeah, I mean, it's a, it's a lot of, it's a lot of stuff in the oven right now. And I, I also usually work in a lot of things at the same time. You know, sometimes when I'm at a deadline and I have to push one painting to finish, it’s very painful for me, you know, it's very difficult, because I feel like I'm in this toxic, very claustrophobic relationship, and I'm like, I probably messed it up, you know. So, I usually, when I make paintings and I do stuff for the work, I cover the whole room with things, and I start, I start and I go and I move away from things and I now started knitting, so I sit in the studio knitting, and I'm looking at the stuff because you know, my hands need to be moving, but I have the time to observe. And since a lot of the, I had a residency in Qatar that has been moved, I had a project in Greece that, you know, it's been moved, the project in New York also, they're all postponed. I think one of the things that I was struggling for the past year, I was very, very busy and I was always struggling with time, and now, you know, I sleep later without guilt, you know, I'm connecting with my kid all day long. So, that guilt of just not having enough time disappears. So I am trying to- it's just a completely different experience, you know, but you know, it's different to remain productive with deadlines than without deadlines. So I'm just, you know, if one day I don't paint, I make sure I do something else that I feel like- but I just try to embrace the fact that we don't have to be productive 24/7, you know, and that, I think, was the hardest lesson for me to learn the first 50 days, you know, maybe it's good, it's okay, not to be as productive, you know, maybe it's fine just to rest a little bit, a little bit. You know, so when you, especially when, you know people that we paint murals, obviously we have a lot of energy, that's why we picked it up in the first place, so it's, it's catalyzing, channelizing all that energy. It's, you know, it's, it can be challenging when you're in lockdown, but I don't know. It's definitely nice to explore different things, you know, but I mean, I do miss painting outside and painting murals a lot at this time. So, we'll see, that’s, you know, so analyzing of the printing murals is such a social activity, you know, it's such a social part of your practice, and I think it has to do with that, you know, that we’re also in lockdown and we're not allowed to have that social thing in our life. And I, I'm such a warm person and I think people are such a big part of my practice, you know, because when I'm not doing the murals, I’m doing the community murals. Last week, I did a class to a lot of the students on Zoom, so I still do a lot of that, but you know, when I'm in a class, or when I give a workshop, I right away can feel the emotion and the, and how much is touching certain people now, right? I mean, both ways. But in zoom, you know, when people send a message, you're making a slideshow, you know, maybe people are always making comments or remarks and you're not really able to absorb that experience that the other person is getting and, and I think one of the reasons why I like to, you know, mentor or teach to teenagers is to feel like they are inspired to take it into their practice or to make questions or question themselves and stuff like that. But when you're not able to see that communication is being effective, you can't really feel it, you know? It's really difficult for me to keep talking for two hours to a group of teenagers, you know, maybe they're scratching their heads and they don't care, you know, but it's just, I don't know, the digital world, it's a whole different thing, you know, than when you're standing in a classroom and you're having that human connection with people. You know, and I think you have a different impact on people that way, too.
Stephanie Eche 12:34
In an interview I read of you with Heart of Cool, you said, ‘during my teenage years, I felt like I didn't belong anywhere’.
Magda Love 16:27
Yeah.
Stephanie Eche 16:29
I felt similarly in my teenage years, I think- I grew up in a very white community of a lot of Mormons actually, and my family was Catholic and Mexican, and I always felt like I was, I just, I never belonged with, with the blonde haired girls, but I also didn't really feel Mexican, and I kind of pushed away from it when I was a child, like my mom wanted me to do ballet folklórico and things like that and I just thought it was the grossest thing in the world and I didn't want to learn Spanish at first, and eventually, you know, as I grew up and learned more about, I don't know. Just, I realized how much of an asshole I was as a child to my parents, probably, and now I'm so obsessed and learning so much about Mexican history and my own culture and how we fit into the world as Mexican Americans, Chicana, all of that. I'm wondering how, how that was for you.
Magda Love 17:26
I think, you know, also, I honestly am such a, I mean, I was such a brat. You know, I grew up in a huge family and a very loud and drama and my mom had seven brothers and sisters, well one passed, but they all have at least three, four kids, you know, we, every time we have a Christmas with 100, 100 people, it's literally, almost. In the countryside, you know, my mom used to take us on the weekends to my grandparents after they moved to the countryside because you know, they were tired of the city. So, we’d ride horses, and we're in nature and, you know, I, my parents been divorced forever, but my mom, I did ballet for like eight years, I did tap dancing, I did jazz, I did guitar, I did singing classes. I did it all basically, you know, I tried every sort of artistic, you know, thing that you can and for my mother, she paid for all of that, you know? But I think the not belonging, that was a question, I always start drifting away from the question. I think I did not belong, it's a sense that in a way I still have now, you know? I think if that, that sort of showing, you know, it's also hard to go, you come back home, you haven't lived in, I haven't lived home in 20 years. So, I of course, don't have my really close friends that are in New York, you know, and it's just sort of that sense of yeah, I mean, my home is not here, but it's not there anymore. It's just, you know, I’ve always been sort of in the edge of the in betweens, you know, and I think in a way it's, it's a blessing, but it's a curse, you know, in a way. Because you know, and I think a lot with the artists now and how global the world is, you know, I mean, I can be in Mexico one month and feel super comfortable, you know, I can be in a place in a couple of weeks in the middle of nowhere and I feel super comfortable because I'm really easily adaptable. But it's also really difficult for others around you, you know, that can’t really sit still. You know, I never really, I think as a child when you don't feel understood, I felt that I had all these things in a universe inside me that I could not put it out and I feel like in a way now, I guess professionalize, you know I'm able to do that. You know, but also a lot of people in my family are very conservative. So, you know, in Argentina still it’s not an honorable, an honorable thing to be an artist. So, how are you an artist, how you make money being an artist? How do you, you know, it's this huge, cliché that is spread around how artist is not, you know, profitable or a respectable, you know, way of living, you know? Oh, she's crazy. That's basically it and I think, you know, I mean, I'm okay with that now because I'm a full grown adult, but I think I also understood, you know why I left when I had to leave and I went to New York and I sort of forged my own path without all the opinions of, you know, family and people and, you know, it's like, it's great to be back and you know, of course, you know, my family, my mom is my number one fan, but it's just sort of in a way to also show a lot of those people how, you know, yes, you know, you’re still selling paintings, and you’re still doing stuff. And I mean, I feel with the groups, I don't know, I never really concerned, I have, even in the art world, I have a few friends, that they are artists, but artists from very different environments, and I sort of reconfirm, I don't know, I never was a group of something. And even when I have a membership of stuff, I am always like, hi, bye, bye, hi. You know, I make unique friends everywhere. But I honestly, I also change so much and I think I evolve so much that I could never subscribe to a group of people that thinks in a very precise way, because I think thought is an always evolving thing, and I don't know, I think I also, I always liked the idea mostly that I'm able to go in and out of friends. That's why I never really subscribed to like, oh, are you this, are you that, I don't like I think all those labels that groups bring you, and not, not really, I mean, don't go, don't really match with humans. We are always changing, always evolving, I don't want to say that I'm this and I’m that, you know, I think I will probably be correcting myself a couple years later, you know, if I, if I do that. But I think it's nice to have the freedom, for me it was a terrifying thing when I was younger, but now I think that it’s really nice to have the freedom to come in and out of as many groups as you can, you know? I think it's great, it is, it's also really terrifying to not feel fully protected by a group of people all the time. So, you know, for every decision that you make, and everything that you want to adopt in your life, then you have to know that there is a back hand, you know, coming to get you also, you know, but those are the choices that you make. You know, you can have full freedom and all these things without being conscious that you also might not have all the support of the group, not have all the other stuff that belong to a bigger thing. You know, a lot of people look for that for safety and for me, it's very understandable. But yeah, I mean, you have to be conscious about the choices that you make, because, you know, they have always a good and a bad side of it.
Stephanie Eche 23:11
Can you talk us through your process when you're working with a community for whether it's a mural project or how you did in your residency? I think you did, you taught with students there also as part of that?
Magda Love 23:25
Yeah, I mean, the, you know, most of the residency is in museums. Now, they have a community component, I mean, because museums are all desperate to have, you know, family involvement and all the things. So, they took me on a tour, I went to visit three- how many schools did I- I went to like five, six schools in Vermont. I spoke with the little kids and I also one of them I gave in Spanish or just sort of, I work with the teachers to see because I mean, it was just one period so I teach a slideshow or something. And I try to make it fun because it's different ages and that's kind of easy, I'm definitely a people's person. I mean, when I'm in the mood, right? I am definitely a people's person and I love kids and I love kids, I mean even older kids, teenagers, they can be total assholes but when you get the good ones it's really amazing energy, you know, and I think- I mean kids have way cooler energy than adults, in general, so they're much easier to work with because I know how to get them excited. You know, in a way I still feel a child, now then 41, so for me it's very easy to connect with that energy. But first of all, let's talk about my first community project that I think it really changed the way that I thought about my art practice. You know, I painted in Cambodia with Together 1 Heart and Beauty For Freedom. We were going to work with a group of girls that are rescued from sex trafficking, so that was really difficult just to absorb that reality, but I spent some time in a hotel just reading about all the traditions there, we met the prince of Cambodia and you know, asking questions and going for lunch with the people that handle the, you know, the home, and the girls used to go to school during the day in the morning, and then come back and paint. But I also helped other artists for other workshops, and luckily, mine was the last workshop, so I got to experience a little bit of their lives, and how they, you know, they manage themselves and they would tell me about things that they think that they are beautiful. I don't know, they told me these stories about the lotus flower, how you have this super beautiful pink delicate flower coming out of the dirt and the mud, and I thought it was, yeah, something really that click and stick with me because I think you know, that's really like humanity, you know, out of the worst circumstances, sort of rebirth from dirt and become this really beautiful pink flower, you know, I thought that that was a very, something that I could really connect with that concept. You know, it's just this concept of rebirth and magic and- and then I went to, they took us to some of the, you know, the neighborhoods where these girls are born. And I mean, I mean, I never seen some, I mean, in South America you see some places like these, but the favelas in Rio seem nice next to some of the places that we visit. And you know, how a lot of the girls have HIV, most of the girls in the thing, all of the girls have HIV. There's so many realities there that I mean, it's just really overwhelming. For me, I'm very sensitive, so it's very hard to, you can’t go there and start crying, you know, I mean, it's just, it wouldn't seem right. But, we went to one of the huts of one of the local women that we were talking about with, obviously, a translator, about our kids. And I was telling her that I also had a son and stuff and she was telling me there are kids at that point, who are the same age and she was telling me how she considered to give up her daughter because she was the only girl that didn't have HIV in the town, in the little, in the little neighborhood. So she was considering check her into the home with these girls, because she didn't want her daughter to be raped and to get HIV. And for me, I was like, that was a moment that it was transforming forever. First, because honestly, here we are two women that were completely different, but you know, I thought, we talked for a really long time, while all the team, everybody kept walking and moving, and I just sat with her in her bed and we, you know, the translator, had this conversation. And the bottom line is just really, I mean, obviously, at first, I was thankful not to ever had to be in that position, but I think it really brought power into how tranforming traveling and making murals can be in places that nobody goes, and nobody cares to go, right? I mean, making a mural in The Bushwick Collective is great for your following, but, I mean, how much do they ask the people that see it every day, you know? And I think that it’s a special thing that is put out in the universe, when you make work for people that really, really values it and I don't think that it's going to change lives, but I think it's going to inspire maybe a few of those people to either be creative, or it's just to make them feel good. When you have a shitty life all the time, if every time you go by and you see the mural, it makes you feel good, I feel like mission accomplished, you know? But I, I also think a lot of times people have troubles with NGOs that go with these, oh, I'm going to teach, you know, try to impose their views to like, oh, you should do this, you should do that, and I think that I learned so much more than I taught on that project. You know, it really made me change my- I haven’t worked that much with NGOs anymore after that because I now prefer to make those projects individually ,straight, directly with the people of the local region because I think you have a much more direct and human experience and for me there's a lot more value to be interpret locally and not curated by somebody that doesn't live there you know?
Stephanie Eche 29:22
You become part of their community instead of an outsider coming in.
Magda Love 29:27
Exactly and I come with a whole group and I just want to go there as an individual. And then also, too, a lot of these NGOs you know, you don't know where the money goes, you don't know whatever, I feel like that- you know, when I went to an Apache reservation and we went as individuals with my friend who is also a skateboarder and stuff and it was a very different experience. It was very cathartic, it was very, you know, the local man that is the founder of Apaches cables, you know, he also paints, he welcomed us and it was a very different experience, you're there with the locals all the time, not eating with the group of people that you travel, you know, 30 hours, it’s a very different, very different experience. But that also, it really just taught me that what I had to say through my work, you know, a lot of people say, oh, why you paint a lot of brown girls, so you paint this and everything. But, for me, when I paint women, I don't really care what, what color they are, I mean, I make a lot of brown girls, because I think they look gorgeous, but I think more than anything has taught me that, you know, the struggle of humans, obviously, besides, you know, the socio economical challenges, spiritually, and psychologically, we all want the same things in life, you know, that it's to, our family, our children, to grow up with dignity, to be educated, to have food on our plates, to be in love to have our family, you know, basic, the basic wants and needs of human beings across the world are all the same, you know? Forget about the material stuff, you know, but we all want to be loved, we all want to have kids and them to be safe and to have dignity and opportunities and I mean, so I think through that is something that I understood. I mean, I understood it as a person before, but I think when you see it through your artwork, you travel and you do work with different eyes. You know, when I paint in Flint, Michigan, I went three times in the same year, and one of the local girls in the community told me ‘we had, over 45 artists here, come in, nobody sat down with us to ask the questions that you're asking’.
Stephanie Eche 31:36
Wow.
Magda Love 31:37
You know, to represent our work, they came, they paint the car, they come to paint this. I think when you're working with people that felt, and hurt for so long, it's so important that they become part of the what what is being said in that mural. So, and I think I always felt, you know, I love talking, but it's something that with time I learned, is to shut up and listen to what the other person has to say. And I think that has been in a lot of value of my experience of traveling, you know, in Mexico, in you know, in Flint, Michigan, it's like, I have a second home in the states now. You know, they're like, ‘when are you going to come back’ and, you know, we’re always trying to figure out how we can make projects. The people from Flint Public Art Project just started this mission and they write grants, they invite artists, they try to bring joy into the community and I love it, because one of the first rules that they have for the murals is you don't paint anything about water, nothing, because, you know, they don't want to hear about it anymore. It's like, it's still a problem. Their vision for the community is to have this joyful experience in the daily life, not to protest what they already know about, you know? I did two big community projects there.
Stephanie Eche 32:51
even artists, but submit your portfolio.com slash tabernacle, get on our Distill Directory
Stephanie Eche 32:58
database.
Magda Love 33:01
Like talking in the church and stuff, and you know, in the beginning, you know, obviously, everybody look at you suspicious, you know, but, you know, at the end of the project, you know, you're hugging each other. That's something that it was really touching to me, the last time when I went, it was during the festival, and one of the local girls said that to me, you know, because they invite a few people into their house for dinner, but there was other artists in town. And I felt bad because I wanted to also be with the other artists, you know, that's me, the fear of missing out is always real. But when she said that, to me, I felt like you know, that that's really my goal, that every time that I travel, I really stick, not to connect with everybody, but to connect to those people that understand what you do, and why you doing it. And it's really just keep creating beautiful bonds in between human beings. That's really for me what my, my work is about. And when I travel and when I make in the studio, I feel like if I paint things, that mean deep things to me, that move me emotionally, probably there's going to be a few people that can relate with that emotion, you know? Besides the technique that is, you know, obviously your responsibility to always continue proficient, you know, I think the most important thing is to not only have something to say but, you know, offer an emotion to others, you know, that we can all connect through that because I mean, that's the only way that universally human beings can connect you know, that is through that psychological feeling of emotion you know, that's it's, that's really it. The experience of Cambodia, I think, you know, there's things that you in, through your intuition, you kind of always know, but that trip really put it in my face. And you're like, oh, this is the epiphany, you know, that this is, when you always thought about theoretically was the case, this is, you know, that's it, yeah, you were right, you're on the right track, keep going now.
Stephanie Eche 34:59
Are you an artist? Submit your portfolio at distillcreative.com/artists. You'll get on our Distill Directory, our artist database, and be considered for upcoming art commissions.
Stephanie Eche 35:12
Do you have any tips for other artists or also organizations who commissioned artists to come into a community on how to better create that connection? Because it sounds like you need to have a certain amount of courage and obviously empathy and curiosity and ability to, some, some outgoingness. But not everyone is that outgoing, or maybe they don't feel like they are allowed to connect with people when they're doing a project in another place. Do you have any tips for how to facilitate that?
Magda Love 35:44
I think that the tips for the artists are very different than the tips for the people that are working with the artists. But, I think for the artist, I should think, that is what comes naturally to me. So you know, I think being yourself is always the best way to- I mean, it's so cliché and so stupid to say that, but it's really the best way to connect with people. Because I think people know when you're bullshitting them, you know, so just be direct. And if you want something, don't go beat around the bush. Like in Mexico, they laughed about me, because when I asked for stuff, you know, they say, oh, ahorita, and I'm like, five minutes, ahorita or five hours ahorita, you know, and they laughed at that, because there everything goes with a lot of calm, but I don't have a lot of calm, so like, when I come, I already prepare myself, like okay, so they have it like a week before, you know? I think just you know, you have to be genuine, you know, and you have to, if you’re a pain in the ass you have to come to terms with that and try to be less of a pain in the ass, and you know, respect that there's different timings for different things. You have to be flexible, you know, I paint, for example, with spray paint. When I went to Cambodia, there was no spray paint, there’s barely any food. I try to be able to be flexible and work with everything you have, if you don't have a projector, if you don't have this, you don’t have that, you know what, learn to work without it. Because if you are traveling, it's your job to work with the least resources possible. You know, try yourself to work with the least resources possible, if your goal is to travel, you know? And then another tip is, you know, honestly, stop complaining and keep working because nobody cares. The truth is like, yeah, you can make some connections and you know, with the people that you connect with, keep working with them and then other things will, will flow, like for me, I'm not doing that right now, but I always, even when I was the busiest, I send emails all the time, I make research of the people that I want to work with, I make research of the, I don't know, art centers, or galleries that I feel like they have art that they would appreciate my art. You know, the opportunities aren’t going to come to knock on your door. I mean, sometimes they do, you know, after a while, but the truth is, you know, last year, for example, I applied for a couple of grants and I won, you know, I was a finalist in the Sustainable Art Award, I won something with the Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Artist Alliance, and I won something, I did something with ArtBridge, too. You know, like, apply to things, take the time to sit down. Also, when you're writing these things, you will learn a lot about your practice, you know, learn to edit yourself, learn to really communicate these things, you know, also make a research for the things that you apply. You have to research these things, because you cannot just send, you know, the same email to everybody, because people can tell. I mean, I can tell when people send me the same emails to everybody, spend your time wisely, make a research and then focus on the target, you know, and honest, just be honest. Send an email and say, like, I would love to work with you, how about having a show together, what are the steps, are we interested, you know, but the truth is that if you write to the right people, you know that they probably will be interested, you know, if not, don't write to them, because they're a waste of time. But you know, do research and stay, and stay focus and, you know, work your ass off. Like really, there's no other, it's not like a magical formula that you can offer to people, you know, don't get, don't get discouraged. You know, a lot of times you don't hear back from these people, or a lot of people, I mean, I have heard in my own show some people saying like, oh, I don't even know how she get all this stuff, she's not even that good. You know, I mean, people will say those things and it's okay, that's their opinion, you know, you have a different opinion, you know, so it just sort of like don't be discouraged by bad feedback, you know, just keep doing work. Stay in and dedicate time for your work to keep improving and research and contact people. It’s just, it's not really much more to it, you know, I mean, and you have to be willing to get uncomfortable. I mean, art is all about feeling uncertainty and every time you start a piece of canvas, you know, I mean, I remember when I started at 16 years old, I was like, don't fuck this up, don't fuck this up, you know, like that anguish, that uncertainty, you know, you, you know, once you relax and you don't worry, you really enjoy it, you know, but don't overthink it. Because yes, you know, we all have different personalities, but you know, just try to enjoy the path that you took, you know, it's going to get muddy sometimes, but you know, enjoy the path, it's part of all of the journey, there's a lot of ups and downs in the art world, but you have to be willing to work harder than anybody. I mean, that's just really the only way and I think that's why some artists have the careers they have, and some don't, you know, really the purpose that you're making your art for. You know, you're really thinking about, having 10,000 followers more to end up in the MET one day. I don't know, you know, your, what's your, you know, it's very important to have goals out there, short term, but you know, you have to think about the long run, you know, and the majority of your art work. I mean, at least I think, you know, everybody, this is like the things that I think to myself, you know, some people maybe make pieces of art and then burn them the next week, I don't know, everybody's different. But I think you have to think about the long term, you know, so you don't have this constant anxiety of the present, you know? Just, so if you're doing your artwork, and you're, and you're doing research, then you're respecting your practice, you know? I think for me, it’s something that I also try to communicate to younger people, you know, you're in a rush to conquer the world, and to show to everybody, I have so much stuff that I haven't shown people, because I don't think that they're good enough, you know, just respect your time. And if it's not good enough, it's not ready, don't show it, wait, you know?
Stephanie Eche 41:39
How do you know when it's ready? And how has that changed over time for you?
Magda Love 41:44
I mean, you never know that it's fully ready and you will always add stuff last minute, you know, but you, I think, more than a piece also being ready, it’s you being ready, you know? If you're not ready to receive, negative criticism, you're not ready, that's not ready, you know, because you have to, I mean, it sucks to hear it, but it's the truth. You know, sometimes some of the work we do is not great, you know, it happens less and less, the more you do it, but not everything you're going to do is great. I mean, as human beings, not all our actions are great, you know, there's stuff that we have regrets about and I think with artwork it’s the same way. I very much accept my art as part of my life. And I know as human beings, I have good days, bad days, failures, great things, amazing stuff, it’s just sort of hopefully allow all the great days to arrive at the same, painting at the same time. You know, throughout the time, that's why I try not to be in a rush for things anymore. But you know, you have to, you have to accept. A lot of times I have finished painting, and you're like, oh, I wish I would have done but I'm not gonna do it, just leave it like that for the next week. So you know, I don't know, it's just, there's not really a huge advice. It's just really like, you know, ask yourself these things, and then enjoy and then work really hard. Be prepared. You know, that's another thing, you have to do research about the places you travel, you have to do research about materials. If referencing history, you know, your own culture, the places you paint, I mean, you know, I mean, the truth is, even though, you know, I chose not to have a formal education, you know, I, you know, I read a lot and I do a lot of research, and I think that's very important and it shows, you know, to the people, when you, with the seriousness that you take the project. When I had to do the project with Google, I had to sit and do a presentation for this group of people all studying hard, you know, and you have to know about what you're talking, you know, what are you talking about, you know, it's very important that you're prepared, that you prepare yourself to defend your work that you know, that you have, a backbone of knowledge in a way, you know, I take the technical part of making art and, you know, the kind of knowledge is seriously, I think educating yourself is very important. Especially, to defend the work that you're doing, you know, I mean, yes, a lot of the things we should do, because we do it, but you know, when you're older there, you know, there's an understanding of why, you know, there's a, there's a reason why Stephanie now wants to do the folklorico dances that before didn't care about, there is a reason behind all that stuff. So we understand, I think, with time. You know, I think that's another thing, I started making, I guess officially, I guess, not getting paid for anything else, artist as an older person, you know, so I never had the experience of a young person that sometimes there’s super gifted, young artists are like 21, 22 and they're so gifted, they have no self doubt, it’s amazing. But, you know, let's say that that's really not the majority. You know, I think when you're older, you know, you have different, different priorities, you know, for all of us, artists that are parents is like, you know, it's like a whole different, it's a whole different experience. But you know, I mean, bottom line is just come down to do your homework and work really hard, prepare to have a lot of criticism. Because, that's just how it is, you know, I mean, who cares? It's people's opinions. I think when you work really hard and you're happy with your work, people's opinions don't really count, you know? For good and for bad, because ‘oh, I love it, it's great’, I mean, it's nice for a little bit, but it doesn't really, also like, ‘oh, my god, amazing’, you know what I mean? Like, I try to take the good criticism and the back criticism like scopes into things that maybe I need to work in both ends, but I don't, I try not to take it so seriously, both ways. And then, oh, and then the other one was for organizations that want to work with. It’s the same way, do your research, you know, some people hires you, and they want you to do something that is not your work. Make sure that you pick the artists with the same vision, talk to people who worked with them before. I mean, I have a lot of friends that produce artwork, and they were like, ‘oh, we're never working with that person again’, it was a disaster. You know, not everybody has the same work ethic, too you know, and that's another big thing, you know, you're gonna work with people, make sure that you always leave staffing. Sometimes it's impossible. But, I usually, I don't know, if I'm lucky, or because I also now do my research, I usually have good experiences in working, you know, these past years. I mean, in between artists, we do it all the time, ‘how was this person?’ Or ‘what do you know about this person’, you know, and I think it's just sort of like, really think about the project that you have, and hire the right person for the project. Because artists, we do our work. And then I think always a great fit is when both people are allowed to get the final result and the artists are able to be faithful to their, to their work, you know, there's not really much more around it, both parties need to do the work. You know, sometimes people call me like, oh, we love your work, whatever, and then ask you to do something they like, you say you love my work, that's definitely not my work. You know, do your work and work with people that, you know, that they're, get the work done, you know? I heard a lot of nightmare projects of incomplete stuff or delayed things. You know, I usually when I start a project, because I'm busy, I work, I work, work, work, and I try to get it done, you know, and so I can move to the next project. But a lot of people don't think like that, you know, I paint, I paint like double decker bus and two murals in five days, you know, in Mexico, I mean, with assistance, you know. But I also visited my mom and I didn’t, you know, and that trip, I didn't actually, that trip, I took my kid with me. So even he was painting with me. And we were literally almost out to lose, miss the flight and I arrived covered in paint into the airport, I travelled with my painting clothes, you know, that's how close to lose the plane we were. You know, so it's just sort of, you know, know what you're getting into, I think I'm a person that I try not to have too many requests for organizations and for productions. It’s very important to also ask the artist, what is it that you need, you know, so you don't get caught out of surprise, you know, just prepare yourself and have all the stuff that the person is going to need to to work, you know? For artists, I think when you don't have things that you need to work, it's good to know ahead of time, so you're prepared, you know, it's really basic, I think, if you pick the person that you know is going to do their job right, you don't really have to worry about that. You know, communication is, it's always the best way to sort of throw all this stuff. And as in preparation, always, it's important for murals, especially, because you spend so many hours and if you're not having an assistant at that moment, you know, or let's say having all the stuff you need there, really makes your job so much easier. Because, you know, you have to be moving all this paint while going to get more paint, you know, yeah, make sure that you know the production of the project. I think production of projects is basically 70% of the project total. It's, because it's so important, I don't know, when you're painting and I, you know, having a little meal or stuff. Little things like this change so much the day of work, you know, like I'm being hungry all day, I want a coffee, I'm cold. When I go to paint, I have a bag of clean clothes, this, that, you know, extra masks, you know, I mean, because I was way too cold, I was way too hot. I mean, I had all those styles, but now that I'm old, I want to be more comfortable when I’m painting, you know, so it's nice to have all the things that you need, because it also shows in your work when you're in a good mood painting or when you're in a shit mood painting, you know, so try to, you know, be well prepared. But I think if you’re an organization that can provide that, I think for one person to be dedicated to production that asks, ‘hey, what are the things you're going to need? What time do you want us to bring your meal’, little things like that, you know?
Stephanie Eche 49:43
That's really good advice for organizations and the people who have money to do, to hire artists for commissions, especially since it's becoming more and more popular, I think in all types of businesses.
Stephanie Eche 49:58
Are you a real estate developer looking for a unique amenity for your site? Get our free guide: 10 Tips for Commissioning a Site-Specific Artwork at our website distillcreative.com.
Stephanie Eche 50:11
Another question I wanted to ask, how do you think art in public spaces affects real estate?
Magda Love 50:17
Oh, that's complicated, because I think honestly, I mean, especially in places like New York and in Bushwick, it has such a complicated story of gentrification, you know, and I think for a lot of locals is kind of like a bad word. And I think, in a way, I think artists, they were like okay, there's very few people that get still paid, because for some reason that I cannot fathom, there's people still painting for free, in Bushwick, or places like this for new buildings. And I'm just, these people have millions of dollars, why people continue painting for free, I don't know, I can’t find room in my brain. But, I think if the vision of what you’re trying to say, and the principle of the company is right, there is no problem. You know, I mean, we all make, need to make a living, you know, I think it's certainly better to have a mural than like a block of cement. So I, for example, you know, when I did the project with City-As for some of our donors, I said, besides donating for the project, I would ask the people to donate some money for the art program at the school. So like, sometimes, you know, for example, there was a commission of a big hotel that was opening in Brooklyn, but now it's on hold, they were getting so much criticizing from the local community that they were, the way that they were approaching it, they were like, ‘well, we know we want to do it with you, because we know that you work with a lot of local communities, and then we can see how we can contribute and bring those communities and bring those cases and bring all those people and make them part of this, so they don't feel alienated by us opening in this neighborhood’. So I feel like, you know, they already knew it, but because they were aware, some people don't really care of being aware, but you know, the thing as an artist you can bring, also, to the developer, that point of view, you know, I mean, usually developers are not really, they don't really care about having that dialogue. But you could be like, okay, I'm doing all this stuff, but you guys, I don't know, I've done that, and then you guys have to donate this money to, I don't know, a local school or a local art program. Or I'm going to bring, I've done that with kids before, like, okay, I'm going to bring two or three people that, you know, go through this program, and you guys are going to pay them to. You know, I don't know, I mean, there's ways to make people do the right thing intelligently, you know? But I think the most important thing is to also think of it as a project, you know, some of these projects can bring a lot of money to the artist and with those projects, with that money that you bring in, then you can do like three projects in Cambodia, you know, if you want to save the world. I think, you know, it's important to find a balance is valuable to try to make people think about how they can be more, include more of the local people that I guess they're gentrifying, you know, which is, which is true.
Stephanie Eche 53:11
Yeah, I really like the, the artists coming with ideas, or I mean, obviously, it would be great if the developer already thought about something.
Magda Love 53:18
Yeah, but the developers are thinking about the units. You know they are.
Stephanie Eche 53:21
Right.
Magda Love 53:21
You know, it's like, when you're doing a project, when I did the Google, the Google project, when I did the stuff there, you know, I was working with architects and construction, and I was in a meeting and they're talking about the counter size and the counter of the kitchen and this stuff, they're not thinking about your art, you know, you're like, you’re like the fun part of the project. They’re dealing with 100 million things, that's another thing that you don’t have to take it personally, you know, you just have to be like, hey, how about we do this, and we will, oh, that's an awesome idea. You know, you have to think that when there's a construction going on, the least of the problems is your mural. It really is, your like the, you're like the confetti of the party. Everything else is a fucking mess, but you're the confetti of the party. So you have to, you know, think about that. And like, you know, it's just how it is, that’s not, you know, so it's your job to try to bring that to their attention. I mean, you know, some, if they're not doing anything wrong, I mean, some projects are for, just for profit, and that's okay, too, because, you know, you have to pay for college for your children, and you have to continue traveling the world, and you know, the way to do that is to also have projects that pay you well. You know, like, what, for me, what is unacceptable is to take shit payment from people that actually are spending millions of dollars and building something, you know, make sure that you're getting a fair pay. Because you're like, oh, my budget is $1,000, how is your budget $1,000 if you're building that, making a building of like $40 million, explained to me, you know?
Stephanie Eche 54:52
Yeah.
Magda Love 54:53
No, no, because then we don't have a budget for that, oh well, okay, so maybe you want to relocate your budget a little bit, my friend. You know, those are the things that I tell artists, don't sell yourself short. When there's money coming and going, you have to make sure that you get a little bit of it.
Stephanie Eche 55:07
Definitely.
Magda Love 55:08
Because, you know, in Brooklyn, everybody paints for free. I honestly, I’m in dismay every time I hear people keep painting for free, I don't understand, you're ruining us all.
Stephanie Eche 55:17
And these are artists who have done projects before, it's not like their first project that they want to do for free?
Magda Love 55:23
No, but you know, I understand they said, I have painted for free, but like in murals that I really wanted to do and stuff, but, I understand you do it for organization or for stuff, but, I don’t know, you should get some sort of payment or paint or something. I don't know. It's just, I don't know, maybe I'm too old now. So I don't know how to do it.
Stephanie Eche 55:44
No, I agree.
Magda Love 55:45
But also, I don't think you're helping your art community either. Because if all artists will say no, we're not painting for free, I'll tell you half of the fucking murals in New York wouldn't exist, you know?
Stephanie Eche 55:56
Yeah. Also it just, it devalues what the art, besides the actual art of the work, there's also physical work involved and a lot of logistical work, there's a ton of work going on, that you're just devaluing if you're not getting paid anything for it.
Magda Love 56:13
Yeah, man, besides your own work, I feel like if, imagine if all artists would have the coherency, right, and this decision of saying, you know what, our work is valuable and we're not going to fucking paint for free anymore. If everybody would do that everybody will start getting paid. I mean, it’s just, because nobody would paint murals, you know what I mean?
Stephanie Eche 56:34
Yeah.
Magda Love 56:35
I mean, or maybe really young people and those, you know, that's just studying and you know, then people will realize, well, if I want to have a nice mural by a person that is a professional, I have to pay for it.
Stephanie Eche 56:46
Right.
Magda Love 56:47
I mean, that's how it should be.
Stephanie Eche 56:48
Yeah. Are you reading or listening to anything that's inspiring you right now, that you want to share?
Magda Love 56:53
Actually, I just finished reading the book Wild by Cheryl Straight, that is the story of a woman that she climbed the PCP by herself, you know, the Pacific Atlantic trail, and she's hiking or whatever. Made me want to go hike even though we’re in freaking lockdown. But I thought it was really nice and honest, the way the voice of the woman is really honest, and I loved it. It’s an easy read, also, it's a very pleasant novel. I actually heard there's a movie of it that I have not watched. And now I'm reading something that's a little more technical that is like, I mean, I always read, while I read stuff, a couple of books. I’m reading again, Mary Oliver, a poetry book that I love. I have a lot of her books, I love her poetry. And when I read poetry, makes me want to paint. So, I imagine, a lot of my paintings are based on poetry that I read that it made me imagine things, you know? And then I'm reading another book, I don't remember the author, but I posted it on Instagram. It's called Culturas Hybridas, it means hybrid cultures, that really talks about the process of like, girls like you and me, that how the mix of the global cultures is making, like hybrid cultures of mix, you know, mix of different elements and immigration and stuff. So the book talks about how these hybrid Asians work. So it's a lot more technical, but it's very interesting. It's very anthropological. I went to college for anthropology for a couple years, so I still like those nerdy philosophy books. So, but when I read that, I always read poetry and other stuff that are fun. And then for playlists, I don't know, for music, I have hundreds and hundreds of playlists. I’m not, haven't been a podcast person, I don't know why, I don't get into it, you know, like even sometimes the voices on the music bother me, so I will listen to classical music. You know, because, so because when I paint, especially, I don't like to think about any specific thing, you know, so I like the idea of the classical music, I don't know. Theater here in Argentina, Teatro Colon, is having a lot of symphony and a lot of stuff for free, you know, up online, so I listen to other operas, or you know, Tchaikovsky, the Swan Lake, you know, I love to hear that when I paint. So I've been playing that music a lot home, so you know, it really depends. Now I want to get in a good mood, I put like, I don't know trashy reggaeton to workout you know, so it's very all over the place, but I prefer to share my intellectual taste to my trashy tastes.
Magda Love 56:56
Well, we’ll link to the books in the show notes and maybe a playlist.
Magda Love 59:40
Okay, cool, perfect.
Stephanie Eche 59:42
Yeah, is there anything you wish that I had asked that I didn't ask?
Magda Love 59:45
I think that you were actually really, really thorough. But you know, I, for me, especially you know, since we both have Latin American roots, I think now that I'm here also, I just have such a bigger comprehension of the way that we are, you know? Because we are very different in a very Saxon world, because we like it or not, especially seeing all this stuff that's happening in the U.S. that is ridiculous, that has the most diverse population of the planet all in one country and have dysfunctionally working now, you know. I think the experience of Latina women in U.S. economy, you know, it's a, it's a very important topic that we all visit. I mean, for me, it's like you never want your work to be recognized because you’re either a woman, or your Spanish or your this, but I think our culture and our, you know, the way, the things that we learn, really reflect on the work that I do, obviously, for me, the most obvious way to see that is the color. I think the topic of your descendent and how you honor your descendant and your culture in a place and time that is not being embraced is very important. You know, I mean, that's just really a commentary on it, because I feel like Mexico, as in Argentina, a lot of countries in Latin America have a lot of problems that are mostly due to corruption and government, but the culture of the tradition and the arts, and the colors are things that have so many years of tradition. And I think that's one of the reasons, also, that I love to paint in Mexico, you know, and I, and I think embracing our descendants and being really proud of where we come, it’s the evolution of, of culture in U.S., you know? I think especially for us, for Latinos, so many generations of Latino, they've been trying to wipe that off on the children and try to make them be as white as possible, and I think it sort of represented the subculture in U.S., it's very important that we are really loud and proud of, of the culture that made us, you know, so that's really the only, I guess, comment for me. I think, more than ever, I think it's important to represent very proudly, where we, the places that we come from, and the fact that there is room for all of us to live in peace in such a great country that I think is going through a lot of ideological trouble now. But yeah, I think it's to, to really embrace the places that you come from and be really proud of all that, it's really important now. So, that will be the only thing.
Magda Love 59:50
No, thank you for that. It's something that I think can get kind of complicated. Especially like for me, I'm multiple generations, my great grandparents, or great great grandparents came over from Mexico or the U.S. You know, there's, there's so many different ways in which people have- and how their ancestors got here, or how they got here, and I think there's a lot of tension tied up in that, particularly in the Latinx community, or the Latina community of how Latina you are or not, or like how brown you are or not, or how, you know, there’s just so many different.
Stephanie Eche 1:02:32
Yeah, but the truth is, like even for me, in the beginning, in the Latin community, I'm like, I'm too white, you're not Latina, you know, I mean, and this is something that they sell there, you know, Latino people, we are all colors, too, you know, we all have very different backgrounds, and we all do very different things. But, you know, we're human beings, you know, but I think just the clichés, you know, that there are around our communities are just ridiculous, even within our community. You know, I think they're all valuable, you know, very valuable conversations, you know, to have now about identity. And, you know, like it or not, even if it's four generations in, the weight of your culture is, it's always there with you.
Stephanie Eche 1:03:06
Right, yeah. Well, and having solidarity, which is something in the past 10 years I've definitely come closer to is that we do need to collectively celebrate ourselves and not be so individualistic about things, I think.
Magda Love 1:04:01
Yeah, but that's what I'm saying. You know, I mean, even, even I realized with my kid, you know, I wish, when I lived in U.S., he speaks Spanish so poorly. I always like, okay, I wish I'd been more pressing about, you know, you really have to do it. And I think also a conversation that I've been sort of starting in my head because also this book that I'm reading, you know, and because you know, in Argentina, too, all the people here, I mean, the how loud we are and everything, it's like, you know, immigration for the first and second world of all Italian and Spaniards and, you know, also it's like very much of a melting pot, you know, so I think it's very interesting how, because there's a lot of racism here too, against different nationalities. It's very important that, I think, not for me as a protest, but you know, though, that through your work, you celebrate your community and your identity, you know? So that's about it.
Stephanie Eche 1:05:02
Where can our listeners connect with you online?
Magda Love 1:05:04
Well, you can look at the old fashioned, the old fashioned way on my website that is, nobody even uses anymore, it’s magdalove.nyc. My Instagram, it's @magdaloveart. So, if you guys get a hold of me probably, I'm not very good with emails, as you would know, because I have some emails that I have not read yet but, but if you DM me and all that stuff, that’s probably, usually the fastest way to contact me.
Stephanie Eche 1:05:31
I know the secret now.
Magda Love 1:05:32
Yeah, and then, well, you know I have all the, all of the social medias but I think, like Facebook, I do just as Magda Love, but, you know, if you google you'll find me there somewhere.
Stephanie Eche 1:05:42
I'll link to everything so people can find you. And thank you so much for chatting today, I’ve really enjoyed it.
Magda Love 1:05:47
Thank you so much, Stephanie. I miss you, I miss all my New Yorkers.
Stephanie Eche 1:05:52
I know, we miss you.
Magda Love 1:05:54
We will soon be together.
Stephanie Eche 1:05:57
Bye.
Magda Love 1:05:57
Bye.
Stephanie Eche 1:06:00
Thanks for listening to this episode of First Coat. If you liked this podcast, please leave a review. Make sure to subscribe to the First Coat podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. And follow us on Instagram @firstcoatpodcast or @distillcreative. First Coat is a production of my company, Distill Creative. Check us out at distillcreative.com.