Marisol Salanova, art critic at ABC Cultural or Cadena Ser and curator, has published her book “Artistic intelligence. Learn to identify and develop your creative potential” (Plataforma Editorial). In a society in which artistic intelligence does not tend to be valued enough, Salanova offers us a new perspective on artistic intelligence, making us understand how we can even understand and discover ourselves better since this is not only the responsibility of artists. and the artists as we can discover in this book.
Where did the idea for the book come from?
They contacted me through a social network from the publishing house Plataforma, interested in offering me a representation contract and a book proposal that would bring the artistic field closer to all audiences. I felt very happy because exploring artistic intelligence as a concept, in an informative tone, immediately excited me. Communicating is my passion.
When did you start to be interested in art?
I studied Philosophy and there I had Román de la Calle as a professor of Aesthetics, it was a turning point. I had always been interested in the subjectivity of beauty and the diversity of experiences faced with the same work of art. In those classes I understood that a profession arose from there, to which I dedicate myself today, art criticism.
Has there been any thinker who has made you interested in this topic?
Hal Foster with his essay “The Return of the Real” made me think a lot about the historical avant-garde. The student bibliography encouraged me. Curiously, the majority were titles published in Spain by Akal, the publisher that commissioned me to write the new book I am writing. A review of current art criticism to be published at the end of the year. Writing for my favorite publisher and being part of the list of critics for my favorite cultural supplement were goals that I thought I could only dream of. Especially because society bombards you with the fact that philosophical studies, like artistic studies, are not useful for developing a professional future.
In Valencia, for example, few institutes have the Artistic Baccalaureate. Why do you think there are still so many problems in school to enhance artistic intelligence?
Because it encourages critical thinking and slowness, listening, the opposite of the excessive productivity that the neoliberal capitalist system demands.
Therefore, what are the consequences of those people who, for example, failed in mathematics but got A’s in the conservatory?
They find it more difficult to enter the world of work and mistakenly deduce that what they have cultivated is not practical.
Great Fine Arts students finish their degree and don’t really know what to do with their work. What is the first step they should follow?
Assume that the market does not determine the real value of your work or your person. From there, decide if you want to enter the circuit, go to galleries, fairs, institutions, or go on your own.
What would you say to a person who understands that the only value of current/contemporary art is economic?
I would encourage you to know what is behind the creation of the works, the motivations and drives of artists that go beyond the commercial. They are workers and of course they charge for their art but the reading that remains on the economic level is very poor.
Is contemporary art elitist?
It is interesting that it is, that is why many critics treat the reader or the public as ignorant. I know that my position makes you uncomfortable because it is politically incorrect. Being a progressive, environmentalist, animalist woman, with a marked critical character, she is disappointed that she does not meet the standards of either hegemonic feminism or the moralist left that seeks to decide who has power over art, what is censorship and what should be canceled.
More and more we see how some institutions opt for what is known as immersive exhibitions. Do you have any opinion regarding these?
They are destined to fail, they are a scam. They distort the perception of the works with spectacular projections. The immersive resources function as a didactic complement but the public seeks to get closer to the original pieces. Furthermore, paying so much for exhibitions that only show reproductions is unsustainable. It benefits the company that assembles them, nothing more.
What value do you think AI will play in the artistic field? Do you see him as zealously competent?
AI does not desire or have intentionality, therefore it does not create art. It imitates, reproduces but does not imagine or replace. More than competence, it is a tool to learn to use correctly.
Apart from New York, different smaller cities are beginning to emerge on a cultural level. Do you think that the local is becoming a hallmark of certain cultural movements?
Without a doubt, taking care of what is local and projecting it abroad is a priority in terms of culture.
We constantly see how the cultural life of Valencia is compared to that of Madrid. However, in recent years we have been able to observe how Valencia has had nothing to envy other cities. Do you think this could change in the coming years?
Valencian culture is not paralyzed or becoming centralist now. The focus has always been on Madrid during the fair season because it is where the scarce national collections are concentrated. ARCO, JustMad, ArtMadrid, are annual events that keep the fuse of our art galleries lit. As for museums, if we get used to the same thing all the time, the circuit becomes vitiated. Nostalgia seems tricky to me. Instead of regretting wanting to return to a longed-for past or longing for the future, we should focus on the guarantees of the present.
What do you think about the changes that are occurring in Valencian museums?
I think it would be worth differentiating between what happened at the IVAM with Nuria Enguita and at the Center del Carme with Pérez Pont. The reports about Pérez Pont’s bad practices predate the change of regional government. Some of the cultural agents who experienced it closely knew that things were not going well, but it was difficult to accept that we had made such a mistake in supporting him. Saying that he is censured is demagogic, since a disciplinary dismissal implies significant evidence. It’s easy to become a victim when the left has protected you, the right comes and takes out the dirty laundry. But these rags are not invented by the new ones, they come to light because they pre-existed. And the worst, the darkest, has not yet come out. He himself had Enguita lined up. It makes me sad.
As an exhibition curator, do you have any projects coming up that you can tell us about?
On the occasion of Women’s Day, on March 8 I will curate an intervention by the artist Bárbara Sebastián, known in international urban art as Barbiturikills, for the MuVIM. A groundbreaking project in the Vidriera space that will remain on display until September.
