By César Rincón
Dory Perdomo is a visual artist and
Colombian-Mexican chemical engineer who has been forged with tenacity. Living
with her family in Mazatlán and with a nearly thirty-year career in the art
world, Maestra Perdomo has defined a singular style that characterizes her
abstract art, which has been exhibited and praised in over twenty countries.
I learned of her work years ago, in an important exhibition for Day of the Dead in the Frida Kahlo gallery
in Culiacán, México. Her piece strongly called out to me with its textures and
colors; there began my desire to know more about her work and life. That is why
we have contacted her from Colombia for this interview.
Who is Dory Perdomo?
A.- I consider myself a simple woman, a lover of nature, of
motherhood, of life at home and as a family. I enjoy my work as an entrepreneur
and artist. Blessed by life, I left my home country of Colombia at 21 years
old, married Jesús A. Becerra, Mexican, with a small daughter and many dreams
of being happy. I have accomplished every one of my goals: I have four
marvelous children, each of whom is perfect in their imperfection, loving and
owner of their own dreams. I studied with Vicentian nuns from nine years of age
to eighteen and began my first artistic endeavors with them as part of the
educational program of the school. I enrolled in university in Quindio where I
studied chemical engineering and at the same time continued studying diverse
art techniques that the same Vicentian community offered to university
students.
For 34 years outside my country I have cultivated a life through
art; I’ve always had a space in my daily routine to create, read or grow by
observing the works of other artists. At this moment my personal project has
become reality through the creation of an art gallery that was born seven years
ago in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, México. Bauprés Gallery and the Bauprés Collective,
which started with the participation of five members. Two of my maestros have
become founders, advisers and curators of this dream: Maestro Sergio Flores and
Maestra Lucila Santiago. Visual artist Rafael Ávila and documentary
photographer Salvador Herrera were also honorary members of this collective, as
is the entire community of Mazatlecos and Americans who have contributed to the
growth of what is today the Bauprés Cultural Center.
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| Work of Dory Perdomo |
Tell us briefly where you were born, your
parents, your childhood, where you studied, your profession and family.
A.- I was born near Florencia, Caquetá, Colombia. My father’s
name was Jorge Enrique Perdomo and my mother is Graciela Medina. Both of them
are originally from that area. My mother was widowed very young, when she was pregnant
and with four young children. I was the oldest at five years old. For that
reason, we went to Florencia to live with my maternal grandparents, and months
later to a small house in the same city that my father had owned. My childhood
took place among games with my younger siblings, the little help a child of my
young age could give her mother in taking care of the kids, and trips to my grandpa’s
farm on the weekends—grandpa who played the role of father, protector and
provider for a long time, until my adulthood and my departure for Mexico, he
was my sweetest memory.
The eternal question that we can’t avoid: is a
painter born or bred?
A.- I believe a painter can be bred via technical training, with
the research and discipline required by this trade; with practice one can learn
a lot about diverse artistic techniques. It can cost a lot, even if it is not
your vocation and for some reason you decide to abandon the trade as a way of
making a living. However, an artist creator must have other sensibilities: the
necessity to transform the world in which she lives, to always be wondered by
beauty, in tiny things as well as in infinitely immense and perfect things like
the universe, for example. Art should be dedicated to creation and to nature.
Borges said that the future is a garden with paths that fork. That is the
intuition that all of us have, that at many points of our life we arrive at a fork
where we can choose one way or another; we reflect and then opt for a road in a
rational manner.
I chose art naturally, out of conviction, to evoke that grand
sensation of life. Artistic creation overcomes the empty existential feeling
provoke by wasted time. Exercising my creativity has provided me an emotional
anchor that has liberated me from fear in life, from loneliness, even from fear
of death.
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| Work of Dory Perdomo |
What motivated you to become a visual artist?
A.- I left the comfort zone of my family very young. My mother
is a strong, brave woman, a provider and protector by nature. When I first left
my country, I felt terrified and I felt the need to fill my orphaned reality
with a dream, to know the works of great artists and, why not, to be an artist
someday. However, my mother always discounted artists; for that reason, I studied
engineering. Despite this, my grandfather one day told me: “The fishermen know
that the sea is dangerous, and the storm is terrible. But that does not prevent
them from going to sea.” It is good to love an ideal and make it your life
project, something that keeps you alive, that allows you to meditate and know
your interior, where your soul rests; therein lies true strength. The one who
loves a lot performs many things and feels capable; what is done for love is
well done. Since that time, I have pursued my dream and converted it into my
life project.
What creative process is most important to
you?
A.- For me the creative process is more important, perhaps, than
the work itself; it is the trigger for our creativity, which allows us to
travel within and project our emotions, involve ourselves, show what hurts us,
what bothers us, our memories. The creative process allows us to approach the
creation of our work from our different emotions of sadness, joy, love ... it
is a theoretical-practical and research process that cannot be ignored, because
it can affect the final result of our work. You cannot create or transform
something without going through a process of recognition, and this is only
achieved through experimentation, both from a conceptual and technical point of
view. I think that the lack of this creative and introspection process is what
cause there to be so many pieces that are said to be art but that have no soul.
Rather, they are just products made for a consumerist world without processes.
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| Work of Dory Perdomo |
When did you start and when did you realize
that being an artista (painter) and cultural promoter was your vocation?
A.- When I was very young, I fell in love with painting. I never
imagined it would be so important and fill my life the way it has. I always
searched for spaces dedicated to art, wherever I went, and I took every
workshop I could while I raised my family. Eight years ago I began my personal
project; I founded my own art gallery and collective, Bauprés. I saw the great
necessity artists have to exhibit, promote and sell their work, and the lack of
spaces and opportunities for many artists who don’t have the resources to show
their work. So I proposed a change in the flow of the gallery in order to be
able to show different artists. That’s how the Bauprés Cultural Center was
born, a space for creation, diffusion, exhibition and sales of art.
Do you remember your first painting?
A.- A lake with a small house, a French landscape
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| Work of Dory Perdomo |
A famous painter who inspired you?
A.- Mainly the life and work of Vincent Van Gogh
You perform several roles at the same time. You
are a cultural promoter, a painter, a community organizer. How have you been
able to balance your dedication to these various activities?
A.- I have the fortune to count on the support and collaboration
of many strategic alliances that help me with my personal project, the Cultural
Center, as well as with my business and my family, so that all are vibrant. I
believe in teamwork, and divide my time and energy between everything depending
on the necessity of each one.
Tell us about your community organizing. What
barriers and satisfactions have you encountered with that labor?
A.- The main barrier to cultural promotion in México and, I
believe, in the world, is the economic: there are insufficient resources for
art and culture, and we artists are one of the most socially abandoned groups.
The greatest satisfaction is to be able to realize people’s dreams; my greatest
reward is also realizing my dream through them.
Which achievements are most important to you
as a cultural promoter?
A.- One of my most important objectives was to position Bauprés
Gallery as a benchmark for art in Mazatlán, México and internationally within
five years, and to be a gallery for everyone. I believe we have achieved trust
and quality in our work.
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| Work of Dory Perdomo |
What is most important for us to highlight in
your work as an artist?
To me the most important is that through art I have been able to
realize my life’s work. I feel full and eager to return a bit of how much I
have received from my teachers and all the artists I have met in these 28 years
of my artistic career.
What does it mean for you to be a painter?
A.- Art is my center; it has permitted me to fulfill myself as a
person, a professional and as a mother: each one of my children has art as a
tool to develop in their lives. Mi creative process and engineering career have
gone hand in hand, allowing me to easily experiment with different
unconventional materials. The thematic axis and simplification of my technique
resulted from experimentation and investigation of the useful life of materials
and their purpose.
What has been your most memorable pictorial
work and why?
A.- The first piece I made with recycled fiberglass. When I
found it it resembled a whale, very beautiful. It measured almost 200
centimeters, and I kept it for nearly five years for fear of working on it and
damaging it.
Is there a relationship between your life and
your art and the social and cultural promotion you do, perhaps a particular
anecdote you could share?
A.- My relationship with art and cultural promotion completes
me. I have received love and generosity, and I have reciprocated it, with each
and every artist that has participated in residencies, exchanges and the
diverse activities of the gallery. The circle of friends that one makes through
art is most definitely worth the trouble.
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| Work of Dory Perdomo |
What role does your family play in your
artistic life?
A.- Family is the backbone for any artist, especially if you are
a woman. If the family doesn’t fall in love with your dreams and support you,
it becomes a disaster almost impossible to fix.
You are an artist in every sense of the word.
Is it easy to live from art in México?
A.- I don’t believe it’s very difficult to be an artist in
México. You must have your own resources in order to help your career develop. There
is no support and for those that do exist they are very difficult to obtain.
You have an abstract style that is very particular in your work.
Would you please tell us more about it?
A.- I have made my work with pieces of recycled fiberglass from
fallen ships. These pieces have the marvelous print of time, almost impossible
to copy. Each piece has its own esthetic discourse. I intervene in restoring
the materials as they speak to me. Each piece is different, unique. Almost
every piece I’ve worked on with oil and restored the fiberglass.
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| Work of Dory Perdomo |
Is there some event that has marked your life?
A.- My life has been divided into two parts: one prior to
leaving Colombia and the other my life in Mexico. Despite having the blessing
of a large loving family of in-laws here, I have never felt complete; I miss my
family and country.
You are a great artist who has traveled a lot
and lived in several countries. What limitations and advantages would you cite
for artistic activities in México?
A.- Art in Mexico has a great history of grand creative artists;
there is so much talent here. Even handicrafts are often works of art. Limitations
include the lack of governmental resources for artists; society doesn’t consume
art and does not want to pay for it; the market is very elitist, so there are a
lack of opportunities for quality art.
What project are you working on in the short
term?
A.- To consolidate a virtual sales platform for art, and promote
international alliances to help more and more artists exhibit their work. To
work more in the área of cultural promotion and improve the quality of art and
the opportunities of the use of public spaces for artists.
What advice would you give someone who wants
to leave their profession and dedícate themselves to the world of art?
A.- I think art is a difficult road when we want to live from it.
You have to work hard and invest in it. As my grandfather said, “You have to
make good money, to put it after the bad.” For me I’ve never had the slightest
doubt that the end is noble and it gives us many satisfactions, one of the
primary of which is the ability to transmit our knowledge and get paid.
Anything else you’d like to add?
A.- Thank you, Maestro. It is a pleasure to talk about art. Blessings.
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