Humberto Juárez de la Cámara
A visit to a genius artist's personal space
Salta is known for its silverware, the traditional, carved in a style inspired by the colonial times, of trays, mates and alpaca picture frames. Perhaps that is why the creations of Humberto Juárez de la Cámara are astonishing for the evolution and originality of his work. It happens that the little animals that compose them (and it is worth the diminutive because of their transportable size and weight) have a very strong identity.
The artist combines wood with metals and leather, materialising objects that are representative of typical species of our region.
There are also drawings and sculptures to his credit.
The artist's history is a blend of studies and family legacy. He was born among sheet metal, both his mother and grandfather worked in the family workshop with steel. His sculptural training took place in Buenos Aires with great goldsmiths and his design studies at FADU led him to the manual arts, having learned the technique in the old school style; but the strong roots in silversmithing managed to impose themselves with his legacy. Many years of working with his mother in the Marisa silversmith's shop, a classic in Salta's city centre, completed his mastery of the metalsmith's trade.
Years went by until an encounter with the aluminium foundry awakened his creative impulse. He began with sketches and tests, encouraging playful attempts that led him to his little aluminium animals, which he dressed and decorated with pure elements such as wool or leather. The idea was crazy, but he dared to move away from alpaca, he advanced with the concept of decorative utilitarian and thus his iconic minimalist objects were born, which managed to impose themselves as his personal trademark.
Humberto recognises that his work requires patience, he feels he has time, having already fulfilled mandates without a defined roadmap, and he is ready to continue investigating creative processes. He has a future butterfly house in the pipeline - based on onyx stones - which @tripticity_ was amazed by, because of its devotion to the most beautiful of insects, so hopes to see it come to fruition soon. He also has fun with fashion, designing trendy accessories. At the same time, he studies the sequence of chaos, trying to decipher the order within it.
Being from Salta makes him proud, as does his own work, he is grateful for the flattery and knows he is dynamic and realistic. He is a straightforward, unprejudiced, open artist, which is evident in his work, which is characterised by its simplicity and accessibility.
In short, the work of Humberto Juárez de la Cámara transcends for its innovation and singularity and it is an honour for @tripticity_ to have known the intimacy of his admirable creative universe.
