Enrique Ruiz Acosta, Mexico

Residency Period: 1 November 2014 - 31 October 2015


Bio

Mexican artist Enrique Ruiz Acosta studied at the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Facultad de Artes Visuales from 1979 to 1985 in Monterrey Mexico after which he spent time in Germany and Europe for two years, where he was exposed to various mainstream cultural movements. He then returned to Mexico and began his career as an artist while teaching at his University. He was part of a generation of artists who enjoyed a local prestige in Monterrey. In 2008 he began his PHD which has gradually brought him to this hiatus.

URL: enriqueruix.tumblr.com


On-hiatus Proposal Summary

Having worked and well-recognized as an artist in his community, in 2012, various factors in his personal and professional existence led to a re-evaluation of the way he had been conducting his life and career as an artist to this point. He gave up his teaching position at the university and began new pursuits such as meditation, random conversations, poetry workshops etc., as ways to assess where and who he is and where he would like to be. Enrique has reached a hyper-awareness of middle age and the corresponding time remaining for productivity and how exactly he should use it -- a mixture of thoughts and concerns about what to do just before he becomes too old or even perhaps senile. He plans to use his hiatus residency at RFAOH to make the best decisions for his remaining life.


Final Report

And now for something completely different
- Monty Python Flying Circus

No hay mucho que agregar a lo que ya he escrito durante un año. La residencia ha sido una estimulante oportunidad para resolver algunos aspectos de mi crisis, mientras que otros aspectos han permanecido aún a la deriva o irresueltos. Pero sobre todo encontré esta afortunada coincidencia (si es que existen las coincidencias) con un plan al que ahora me estoy impulsando para realizar a partir del 2016, algo que ya he comentado en estos últimos dos meses de residencia. Ha pasado un año y mi percepeción es que casi todo el tiempo de la residencia me sentí motivado a participar. Me hice preguntas necesarias y traté de responderlas. Escribí en español y traduje al inglés. A este complicado ejercicio se agregó el diálogo con los colegas (algunos de ellos, no todos) lo cual fue esencial para clarificar y para ubicar / desubicar las diferentes posiciones que tenemos frente al mundo del arte. Ha sido difícil al mismo tiempo que un poco extraño y otro poco cómico. Creo que las diferencias interculturales a veces dejaron huecos en las conversaciones imposibles de resolver.

There isn't much to add to what I already have written in one year. The residence has been an exciting opportunity to solve some aspects of my crisis, while other aspects have still remained unresolved or still drifting. But above all I found this lucky coincidence (if coincidences exist) with a plan that I'm pushing for, and that will start in 2016, something I have mentioned in the last two months of the residence. A year is gone, and my perception is that almost every moment I felt motivated to participate in this peculiar residence. I asked necessary questions and tried to answer them. I wrote in Spanish and translated it into English. In this complicated exercise, the dialogue with colleagues (some of them, not all of them) was essential to clarify and to locate/dislocate some of the different positions we have concerning the world of art. It was difficult but at the same time a little odd, and a little funny sometimes. I think cultural differences sometimes leave gaps behind impossible to solve.


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recent comments


5

 

a.

El sábado pasado participé en el evento “Shaping Davos, Arte y Creatividad para cambiar a México”. Me hace bien mantener este diálogo con colegas y con gente interesada en el arte. Desde que me separé de la universidad ha habido varias oportunidades de hacerlo, y me doy cuenta que antes no me interesaban tanto los eventos públicos, tal vez porque mi trabajo de maestro y mi producción personal ocupaban casi todo mi tiempo. El evento está conectado con Davos de 2015 (próximo a realizarse). Tengo dudas acerca de pensar que las actividades o los eventos artísticos pueden cambiar, por sí mismos, la forma en que vivimos. Mas bien creo que las artes acompañan las incertidumbres y los cambios sociales pero no los generan. Fue interesante escuchar todas las opiniones, algunas sin complicaciones, otras expresadas desde lo políticamente correcto, y otras más abriendo preguntas que no tienen respuesta tangible. Aqui pueden ver un poco de esto, y seguir otros links si les interesa continuar la discusión.

http://shapingdavos.org/art-and-creativity-as-an-engine-for-social-change-monterrey-hub/

b.

Mi hija me platica que en Japón hay Cafeterías con Conejos. Son lugares en donde se puede convivir con ellos, alimentarlos, acariciarlos. Es interesante. Me gustaría visitar una de esas cafeterías algún día. O tal vez sea una buena idea para mi hiatus: abrir una cafetería así en Monterrey.

http://goo.gl/uUkMkQ

 

• • • • •

a.

Last Saturday I took part in the forum “Shaping Davos, Arts and Creativity to change Mexico”. It makes me feel good to keep this dialogue with colleagues and people interested in art. Since I moved away from the university there have been several opportunities to do so, and I realize that in the past I didn’t have much interest in public events like this, perhaps because my teaching job and my personal production took up much of my time. The event is connected to Davos 2015 (next to be held). I have doubts about thinking that art activities or artistic events can change, per se, the way we actually live. Rather, I believe that arts go along with our uncertainties and social changes, but they don’t generate them. It was interesting to hear all opinions, some uncomplicated, others expressed from political correctness, and some questions that have no tangible response. Here you can see a little of this, and follow other links if you are interested in further discussions.

http://shapingdavos.org/art-and-creativity-as-an-engine-for-social-change-monterrey-hub/

 

b.

My daughter tells me that there are Cafes with Rabbits in Japan. These are places where you can be with them, feed them, pet them. It is interesting. I would like to visit one of those cafes someday. Or maybe it’s a good idea for my hiatus: to open a coffee shop in my town.

http://goo.gl/uUkMkQ

Leave a Comment (1)

milena kosec wrote on Jan 25:

I believe that also art generate changes. Why not?

 


4

Glückliche Neujahr 2015 !!

Bien, como ya decía, el hiatus es una interrupción o una pausa, y también un vacío.

Me he observado en diferentes momentos y circunstancias, me doy cuenta que mi hiatus tiene algo que ver con la procastinación y también con las distracciones, es algo que toda la vida me ha pasado, poco apuro y mucho tiempo; pero también hiatus es algo mucho más complejo, que sucede en ciertos momentos especiales, no sé muy bien por que, es una especie de desencanto, de pérdida de significado, un extrañamiento que paraliza (como comenta Mary en el post anterior, el “bloqueo de escritor”), tal vez ocurre precisamente para tratar de hacer conciente algo.

En español hiatus es hiancia, es un agujero, un lugar donde no hay nada, es un vacío. Se trata de una fuerza que desorienta y desubica, hace perder la dirección. En este momento así me siento y no me disgusta. Es un laberinto que me invita a meditar, a pensar en cosas agradables o desagradables, siempre interesantes e importantes para el conocimiento del si mismo.

Es grande la cantidad de matices entre el hiatus-interrupción-descanso, y el hiatus-vacío como pérdida; no se yuxtaponen pero tampoco se excluyen, y sobre todo, es fácil transitar de uno al otro.

Tengo varios meses de estar cuidando a una pequeña coneja mientras mi hija está de intercambio académico. Me divierte pues siempre me he sentido a gusto con los animales, pero también me ha dado sorpresas, yo desconocía a los conejos como mascotas. Parte de mi tiempo en los últimos meses lo he empleado en leer sobre los cuidados que necesita, probar su interés por los alimentos frescos uno a uno, construírle espacios para que juegue, descubrir cosas como que sus dientes nunca dejan de crecer, observar como se comunica (gruñen, ronronean, interactúan). A esta coneja le encanta el perejil, las uvas y el pepino, y probando otras hierbas yo también he degustado hierbas que no conocía como la arúgula y el estragón, ¡vaya! muy ricas.

Aún cuando estoy en hiatus, no lo siento como una crisis. Me doy cuenta que todo este entusiasmo que pongo en cuidarla es una forma de dejar pasar el tiempo, de ocupar una parte de mi inactividad, pero también encuentro en esto un gozo impresionante, no solamente porque es la mascota de mi hija, sino porque es un ser vivo, y en su carácter expresa su voluntad de ser. Eso me asombra. En fin, aquí van algunas fotos de la coneja 

 

• • • • • 

 

Glückliche Neujahr 2015 !!

Well, let’s continue. As defined, the hiatus is an interruption or pause, and also an emptiness.

I have thought of myself at different times and circumstances, and I realize that my hiatus has something to do with procrastination and distractions, it’s something that happens to me all the time, being less in a hurry and more distracted; but also hiatus is a much more complex situation, which occurs in certain special moments, I’m not really sure why and when it happens, it’s a kind of life deception, a loss of meaning, an estrangement that paralyzes (as Mary said in the previous post, the “Writer’s Block “), perhaps it occurs precisely to make something conscious.

In Spanish hiatus is hiancia (same etymology). It means a hole, a place that is empty. It is also a force that disorients and dislocates, make us misplace directions. Right now that`s how I feel, and I don’t dislike it. It’s a labyrinth that invites me to meditate, to think of pleasant or unpleasant life passages, always interesting and important in order to understand the oneself.

There are a great number of tones between the hiatus-interrupt-pause, and the emptiness hiatus; they don’t juxtapose nor exclude, rather i find it easy to move from one to another, and back.

Since a few months I been taking care of a small rabbit while my daughter attends an academic exchange. It amuses me because I’ve always felt comfortable with animals, but it has also given me surprises, because a rabbit as pet is new for me. I have spent part of my time in these recent months reading about how to take care of her needs, discovering her interests in fresh foods one by one, building up spaces with empty boxes, discover things like her teeth never stop growing, observing how she communicates (growl, purr, interaction). The little rabbit loves parsley, grapes and cucumber, and when testing other herbs I also have eaten some of them, like arugula and tarragon, new for me and very tasty!

Even though I’m on hiatus, I don’t feel in a real crisis. I realize that all this interest in looking after the rabbit it’s a way to spend my time, but also I encounter joy, this impressive joy, not only because it’s my daughter’s pet, but because it’s a living being, and it’s fascinating that her character expresses her willingness to be. That amazes me. Anyway, here are some pictures of the Dutch-rabbit.

 

 

 

 

Leave a Comment (2)

enrique wrote on Jan 10:

thanks milena! yes, the little rabbit really enjoys the boxes, she goes in and out just like when you are a child and play "hide and seek", she's very friendly... and no, i was not aware of JUSTSEEDS group, i just open their pages and will explore them a little bit, thanks... also, I'll be waiting for the wim wenders movie that you recommend in your blog, I enjoy all of his movies, especially "the wings of desire"... "after all, people is the salt of the earth" says the movie trailer, it looks beautiful... congratulations on your project !

milena kosec wrote on Jan 9:

What a nice rabbit. Is he happy in all this boxes? This time residency it looks we have lively conversation. Although I don't understand Spanish I am happy that you write reports first in your language. Do you now international group from Mexico, USA and Canada: JUSTSEEDS. They have had exhibitions in MGLC and Alkatraz Gallery in Ljubljana.