@victormosquera

Instagram: @victormosquera Twitter: @victormosquerar Website: www.victormosquera.com

1. What's your story? Where are you from?

I'm originally from Colombia but I've been based in Toronto since 2013. throughout my career, I've been lucky enough to work on a variety of different projects. From AAA video games to animations and films. Nowadays I work closely with the music industry, which has been a dream of mine since I started doing this.

2. Tell us about your aesthetic.

My work revolves mainly around spirituality and the human mind. How crazy is that we are all here alive in this "tiny" spinning rock in space? haha. It's super inspiring and scary to me. We are spiritual beings and it's super interesting how people express that in the world. I also grab inspiration from the '70s and '80s sci-fi and psychedelic art, Surrealism and Art Nouveau to explore these topics.

3. What is your favourite medium and why?

Digital! Hands down. It's so much easier to explore different ideas and experiments. I'm pretty impatient when I work so I need to see good results fast to get excited about an idea, a color palette or a composition. I still use some traditional media in some of my work because I love art that has a human touch. But it is always mixed with some digital work.

4. What is your artistic process like?

I try to experiment as much as I can to keep things interesting and find new ways to solve problems. I usually start to sketch very loose ideas in my sketchbook. Once I have something that can turn into something interesting, I start sketching digitally. Once I figured out my main composition and Color Palette I clean up the whole scene and start carefully adding some color variations here and there.

5. Who and/or what inspires your work?

Life. ( Super cheeseball, I know! ) but it is very inspiring to me how we all evolve as humans. How spirituality can influence us in a positive way and how Death makes us appreciate life. And of course, I'm super inspired by everything creative. Music is a HUGE one! Fashion, Film, etc...

6. What role does art play in your life? How does it change the way you view the world?

It's vital for me! I think art and being creative in general helps me understand myself better. By asking myself why do I gravitate to certain things as opposed to others, I get to know a whole lot about myself. For example - I like certain colors because they make me feel a certain way. Or because in combination with other colors they describe a certain mood that I want to be in. This works very much the same way you pick your friends because they make you feel good. Or the same way you listen to a certain kind of music because it resonates more with who you are. The decisions you make with your art say a lot about you. the same kind of decision you take every day says a lot about you and end up shaping who you are over the years.

7. Where did you study?

I studied a few years of Visual Arts back in Colombia. But aside from a really great painting class, I had for a couple of semesters, I was pretty frustrated with it. So I decided to drop out and just start studying on my own. Creating a ton so I can start learning techniques but also start that journey of knowing myself through my art so I can create work that really matters to me.

8. Where do you see yourself in five years?

Creating art...Making more music. I used to play in a lot of bands when I was younger. I really want to get back to it just for fun:)

9. What about in ten?

Creating art, making music. I would also love to have more shows and projects. Collaborating with awesome people is always fun too!

10. What do you hope to achieve with your art?

Inspire, Heal and make people feel good. My art is about positivity. I've had a few people telling me how my artwork helped them through a really rough time. Or how they have one of my pieces at home to remind them of something good, or the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. I really want to have that effect on people.

11. Now, tell us a little more about you as a person: what is your favourite food?

oh! probably Ramen! I only tried it 5 years ago when I moved to Toronto. I don't remember having that in Colombia when I was growing up.

12. Favourite book?

I don't read much, but The Alchemist is my favorite book!

13. Favourite genre of music?

Electronic...I guess? Pink Floyd is my all-time favorite! It has been such a massive influence on my life. I keep coming back to Odesza, bonobo, Tycho, Jon Hopkins and Flume for inspiration. everything that Foreign Family Collective puts out is always awesome!

14. What are your hobbies?

playing guitar and playing with Ableton to make music. I also love soccer! I was never good at it but for the last few years I've been really into it and I've been practicing and playing every time I can.

15. If you weren't an artist, what would you be?

Musician! Hands down!