DANIEL ARANGO

Your work is so unique. Can you discuss your journey to creating the art which you produce now?
I studied architecture and interior design, learning how to build and work with interiors. Later, I received a master’s degree in painting. It participates in the language that composes my work. I also create videos and structures. My design background has led to what I’m doing right now.

Your work has a somewhat religious subject matter – in particular titles and themes. What drew you to this topic?
In 2005, I received a degree in interior design, and I designed a funeral home. Religion and death are two themes which I always play around with. At that time, I was dealing with those topics and that led to making some more paintings and products which speak about religion. Religious and holy themes are not the only topics in my work, but some of the major ones right now. My interest in religion derived from being raised a Catholic. Being gay, I am somewhat critical to it and try to find humor in it. As an adult, looking back, I remember things that were said about being gay – that it was wrong and that those people would go to hell if they didn’t confess. Those instances have definitely affected me. Now, my confessions are unrepentant.

I see your perspective in wanting to be somewhat cynical regarding the religious views from your past. Who are your other artistic influences?
Aubrey Beardsley is a major influence. He is one of the fathers of Art Nouveau. Wim Delvoye is also another artist who influences my work.

Your work is striking and prominent to the eye. What is your technique?
I make drawings in AutoCAD, a computer program used by architects to create detailed renderings and blueprints. The drawings are sent to the machine to laser cut and etch the material for the works. The drawings also inform my paintings. I have them printed on the canvas. The paintings are inkjet and sometimes inkjet and oil paint.

Your pieces are so intricate and detailed. What is your intention when creating the borders and tapestry in your work?
The tapestry is drawn by me on the computer. The crown molding on the top is an architectural idea of a border or frieze that I had drawn. There can be different patterns in the Greek or Roman style. They move from one concept to another. I am physically moving from one place to another; there are many cultures involved, so naturally there are many different influences in the work. They are not one-sided. There is so much imagery and detail – it almost becomes one. There is a lot of content in black and white. Thus, it almost becomes “one” when you are looking at a piece. Classical Greek and Roman wall paintings, mosaics, frescos, and columns were painted in color at one time. When people see these ruins without color, this is not how they looked when they were first created. My work plays with the fact that they should be painted, but now they are black and white. It speaks to the idea of ruins or aging and falling apart.

That’s fascinating. I can definitely see the correlation between your elaborate designs and the possible desire for color to be involved. Can you talk about your works, Sexy Beach Chairs and Airport Security Checkpoint?
They are my version of the 12 apostles, relating to my lived experience and people that I have met. The designs in Airport Security Checkpoint are derived from Persian and other tapestry styles. There is a checkpoint that the person is coming into or out of. He could be a doctor. I was playing with current events at the time. All of the 12 apostles had a narrative or a story to them. They are individuals close to me who spread my word and who I am as an artist. Now, you have to commission me for a portrait and you become one of the disciples as part of the Holy K movement.

That’s great to have been able to incorporate those who have encouraged your work. What is your inspiration for your current project, the Holy K movement?
For about three years, I have been playing around with the idea of the intervention of the cereal box. It is similar to Special K, but instead I turned them into Holy K and made the packaging in all white and black. I made my own natural granola, put it in the box, and left them at Whole Foods, where everything is supposed to be all natural. I would put five of them on the shelves at a time in various Whole Foods. They had barcodes from another cereal brand on them and could be purchased. One day I went back to the supermarket a couple hours after placing the boxes and two out of the five boxes were left. I bought my own Holy K cereal! I’m obsessed with cereal. The Holy K movement is similar to the Special K challenge. Many cereals have artificial ingredients, even in Special K. I was playing around with that intervention. At the same time, people asked to purchase them from me and that’s how the Holy K cereal portraits evolved - becoming the movement where now I’m going to be traveling the world. In each city I arrive, I must find someone to commission me for a portrait and once it is finished, the portrait and the box, I can move onto the next city. The Holy K movement has no duration. It can last days, months or years.

What a great concept! Where do you foresee your work in the future?
In my work, everything leads to something. Everything I do now has been informed from where I have been. I would like to build a cathedral and have a gift shop inside. I want to continue to spread the word of the Holy K, gather more momentum, and more structures for the boxes.