Interview With Paola Delfin

Paola Delfin is an artist born in Mexico City, and is mainly influenced by illustrations, organic forms and a mixture of unusual materials. The topic she endeavors to explore relates to beauty and feminine sensibility. Through these female characteristics Delfin is able to depict a vast range of incredible changes and contrasts where she attempts to give her work a life of its own. She has a meticulous process of illustration, verging on almost an obsessive technique to portray the creative aesthetic of her generation while also depicting a reflective message. Her goal is to make her work universally available to all audiences from all walks of life.

Her introduction to the world of street art happened both spontaneously and inevitably after realizing that the messages she was trying to emit would become trapped and misunderstood on a small template. She found that using large wall space, it was a perfect way to express herself. Her mural work is a story of movement, while meshing the empty space with fluid lines to explore the beauty and fragility of the feminine figure and also how strong its impact can be.

I contacted Paola for an in depth interview about her early memories, her art, and her future projects among other things.

Hi Paola, thanks for participating in SAUS’s Interview Series. For anyone that might not be familiar with your work, tell us a little about yourself.

Hey, I’m Paola Delfin. I’m from Ciudad de México. I’m a visual artist, as well as a Muralist.

Do you recall your first memories on your interests in art?

I actually do recall the moments when i was a kid, I used draw and doodle all the time on napkins, creating my own weird worlds.

Your works deal a lot with womanhood and femininity and is quite intimate. Is it a reflection of your interior life?

It does reflect my interior life, it will always reflect a part of me and the moments I am going through, even the times I don’t intend to do it. But, I also try to speak about different situations related to the places I am visiting and try to listen to what is going on there so the message can also have a deeper meaning for the locals; that will pass by my artwork everyday.

Do you consider yourself a muralist/street artist? And why did you choose the streets to express yourself?

I think the term is just a matter of evolution, and the pass of time. But, I’d like to consider myself a muralist. I chose the streets because it gives me the chance to share my work with all different kinds of people, to enrich it with different opinions. It also gives me the chance to get to know different places, cultures, and their neighborhoods. How people live their everyday lives I find to be very enriching and interesting.

How much does your art affect or influence your everyday life and are there any role models or artists who inspired you?

I guess it depends on the day. Obviously  since art isn’t just my passion but also my job, I try to learn and be influenced as much as possible. I do also try and dedicate time to do things other than painting. I like to read, and I love music.

I would love to collaborate with all my good friends which are super talented,  i think it would be really fun, but it should come naturally.

2017 was a monumental year for women, many of which broke their silence and spoke up on sexual harassment. Do you think women are subject to sexual abuse in the street art movement, that is somehow still a boy’s club?

I think women are subject to sexual abuse in any scene, perhaps there are industries where they’re more susceptible to it. But it can happen in every environment. There needs to be a cultural change and an acknowledgement in society of this situation happening in order for it to change.

At 2017 Art Basel Miami, SAUS attended a panel in Wynwood, when I was at an artists’ talk in Wynwood Walls featuring a number of renowned street-artists, the topic “Selling Out” came up, which is arguably one of the worst insults that can be lobbed at an artist. It was unanimously agreed that this is an outdated term, and artists can maintain moral ground partnering with large entities. Do you agree/disagree and why?

Personally, I agree. Because, it’s really a matter of personal opinion. Every artist decides the way they want to work and knows their own boundaries. They know the way in which they feel comfortable working. You can not make everyone happy and everyone will not agree with you, so I think it’s vital to just be honest with yourself.  

Of all the projects that you were involved in, which project was the most rewarding for you? And why?

I’ve learned meaningful lessons and felt a sense of fulfillment with each project I’ve ever been a part of. Honestly, there isn’t one that I’ve completed where I didn’t learn something new… It’s a huge part of the reason as to why I love my job so much, even if some were more difficult or challenging.
In 2017 I painted in Kiev, Ukraine for ArtUnitedUs and it was an incredibly tough and arduous project. Not only because of the magnitude of the building (13 stories high) but, it was also mentally strenuous for me. I’d call it somewhat of a culture shock- painting in a severely cold place with drastically different temperatures and weather than Mexico…There were moments when I didn’t think I was going to be able to finish. But, in the end, I became adjusted to the weather and ended up having a lot of fun.

The second and most recent one, was in Queretaro, Mexico, for Nueve Arte Urbano and Seawalls, “El agua es una” is a project which has a very important message to give now and in the future, Water and the importance we need to give to it, as an urgent matter, every artist focused in a particular subject related to that, in my case I focused on the water deities,  so it became very meaningful and important for me to give the right message, plus I was one of 6 painters that  painted the dome included Jason Botkin, Curiot, Mantra, Ripper and Goal which were involved on painting the Dome, which is the center of this area. It was extremely difficult to paint in that dry and very hot weather, it was my first time painting a surface like this as well, so it was definitely a huge challenge, but I am really happy to be part of this project. It was for sure a very rewarding experience in many aspects 🙂

Tell us something about you that would surprise our readers?

Singing is my secret passion, I’m pretty bad a it, but hoping I’ll be great in my next life.

What is next for you? Any collaborations, shows or projects in the works?

As much as I love to travel, I’ve focused this year on projects in Mexico. In the near future, I’ll be painting the biggest market in Mexico, “La central de abastos” where thousands of locals go to buy their food and supplies, and I’ll be in northern Tijuana, working on a pretty cool and interesting mural project, including some projects outside Mexico and some traveling.

Any words of advice for aspiring new artists?

As an artist that’s still learning how to thrive and be successful in the competitive world of art, I’d say to follow your passion and take the time to do what you love most…Dream big, as difficult as it may be. You’ll learn quite a lot about yourself in those difficult moments and with hard work, you become more disciplined.

Gracias!