Promoting Global Diversity and Social Inclusion With Multicultural Art

The general corporate body Famiee aims to be more sustainable and sympathetic to many people. In March 2022, the second and third "NFT Art Charity Auction" will be holded.

▶ NFT Marketplace

To commemorate the mission of Famiee, a dialogue was created with Mr. Camilo G. And Juan Quintero.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

Participants profiles:

Juan Quintero

Born in Colombia, current Colombian representative at United World College (UWC) ISAK Japan, and global leader for the RISE for the world program.

He is passionate about promoting diversity in the world and leading projects focused on solving the most pressing issues of the 21st century. He has also worked as an educator for an academic organization in japan, and most recently has collaborated with the Presidential agency for international cooperation of Colombia.

Juan: I decided to join UWC ISAK Japan a few years ago. This is a worldwide educational movement that uses education to bring people, nations, and cultures together in the pursuit of peace and sustainable future. I was very passionate to travel to Japan since I am sure I can promote diversity and inclusion for everyone.

I committed to participate in this wonderful project because Famiee's mission aligns with my values, and I am confident that it will positively contribute to the promotion of fundamental human rights in Japan and all over the world. I also recognize that changing the law may be complex. Nevertheless, there are beautiful opportunities on how we can help our community to be more inclusive and diverse, like joining Famiee.

Camilo G.

Born in Medellin, Colombia in 2000. Current art student at the Eafit school of fine arts.

Growing up surrounded by nature, colors and diversity everywhere I looked, I encouraged myself to find a way to express my passions through my pieces of art and paintings.

These art works have been presented in the virtual annual exhibition of the Gallery of Modern Art of Medellin. The exhibition of these pieces of art have been successful, because they exhibit the colors and magic shared by renewed communities who have raised from tragic wars and conflicts of the past.

Each piece of work represents the courage, bravery and resilience of the people from a diverse location that pursues peace, happiness and positive human progress.

 

How did you meet each other?

Juan: I met Camilo five years ago at Medellin's Gallery of Modern Art in one of the most important annual artistic displays. I have always been passionate about art. Especially, when it comes to new designs and new talent. Surprisingly when we met we had a lot of things in common. We realized we lived close to each other, it is also one of the reasons why we also became good friends.

He invited me to assist his art exhibition and quickly make evident his talent during the process of one of his drawings. It was a real honor to see how passionate, focused and happy he is when he is painting.

Juan: Are you ready? How are you feeling?

Camilo: I am excited and very grateful. This is a very significant space for me, I hope it can help inspire many people from all over the world.

Juan: When did everything begin?

Camilo: Since a really young age, I realized that one of my biggest dreams was to become an artist. My family saw this special kind of magic in me since I was around 5 years old. For my birthday, and Christmas presents all I wanted was Paintings and colored pencils that I could use to express my ideas. I was not like the other kids, I always felt different. I found my happiness by exploring and reading about famous historic artists.

Since I was a kid, I’ve always been amazed by Leonardo Davinci’s artworks and the perfection behind each piece. I used to spend hours trying to understand them, I was inspired by the talent behind each artwork and started to paint in a very detailed way with a more contemporary approach. Since then it has always fascinated me. All I wanted to do was art and I always found my excitement, happiness and peace by observing art galleries and museums.

Juan: I can not feel more connected to the idea of loving art, and my passion to play with colors and paint when I was a kid. I just enjoyed getting my hands dirty or having some fun with my friends and my family. (Everyone laughed)

Juan: Where did the idea of creating art from traveling come from?

Camilo: Combining some of the things I am most passionate about, painting, drawing and traveling. When we travel we are often exposed to unknown things, we have the opportunity to get to know other cultures, new people, different realities, and at the same time different worlds and ways of living. Which creates on me the need to express those ideas to everyone.

Juan: Usually, when I go somewhere else for vacation, I try to forget about my academic duties. Why did you decide to take your job with you during holidays?

Camilo: I do not see art as my job, but I feel it is my life. When I travel and at the same time I sketch and paint, it's much more fun for me, it’s my life’s purpose to express myself by doing what I love and it makes me very happy.

Juan: It must be a beautiful experience to travel to ancient and traditional communities in one of the most diverse countries of the world. Tell us about your experiences and some stories. How is it like to travel around the world creating art?

Camilo: I was born and raised in Colombia, one of the most beautiful and diverse countries in the world, and I felt the duty to travel around my home country to uncover the mysteries of what is beyond the Magic of Colombia.

I have learned so much from everywhere I’ve been, and showing this through my artworks is one of the best ways I can demonstrate the colors and magic of Colombia. One day I had the opportunity to meet a wonderful family in the Amazon. Their ways of living were so different, unique, traditional, and connected to nature. I remember we had dinner together, next to a bonfire close to a lake. What makes my art and my job special, is the fact that there is a different story behind each of my pieces. From the busy streets of the capital, to the peaceful serenity of tropical rainforests. My art captures the best moments of extraordinary locations. They show the diversity of the world we live in and how our differences should unite us rather than divide us.

Juan: Would you like to visit Japan in the future and make some drawings here?

Camilo: Yes. In the future I would like to travel to many more countries and get to know new worlds, and new cultures. I can picture myself campaigning close to Mount Fuji, and sketching such an amazing landscape. It is one of my dreams and I hope to be able to achieve so in the future.

Juan: What does art mean to you?

Camilo: Art to me means life. It is a historical way humans can express their curiosity and imagination. Art is a display of human’s creativity, and art is what gives me happiness. However, art cannot exist without an artist, and that is the responsibility that artists have. We have the opportunity to give art a definition through our creations. Anyone can be an artist if they are brave enough to believe so, and if they want to. I’ve had the opportunity to meet some young artists who have dreams and the best we can do is empower them to chase their dreams and make them come true.

Juan: Diversity is of highly importance to me and Fammie. How is the term diversity related to your art?

Camilo: Diversity is the basis of my art, and it is how I give meaning to it. One of the most recent artworks titled “The Magic of the Sunrise” presents the diversity that I’ve found over the last 5 years in the most diverse locations of Colombia. Over the years, I’ve learned how different we all are from each other, and how in many cases it creates conflicts, and wars. However, my art aims to solve it by presenting the magic of a diverse world.

I dream of achieving an utopian world, where everyone can be happy and in peace. We can do so by promoting diversity in the world, that is why I decided to support this project and somehow contribute to the mission of Famiee.

Juan: Why did you decide to choose these colors for your art?

Camilo: Bright colors are prevalent in most of my works, and this is because it is one of the ways I can transmit happiness and joy to people. I did some research into how colors relate to human emotions at the start of my career, and what I discovered was fascinating. Colors have the ability to influence how we feel. Some orange tones can improve people's energy levels. Other yellow tones can increase people's emotional state. The colors I use in my paintings evoke pleasant emotions in the audience.

I normally experiment with different color tones and tints when sketching the painting until I discover the colors that best describe the experiences. Different shades of green reappear in all of the artworks in my most recent portfolio, expressing my deep affinity to nature. Also, I prefer to travel during the summer to my expeditions since the weather and sunlight make it better to see the wide range of colors that nature has to offer.

Juan: Yes - I agree. This conversation reminds me of the beautiful piece “Encanto”. It is one of the most recent films about Colombia, produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard. The movie is so colorful, happy and everyone looks so enthusiastic. I really enjoyed the movie, and somehow your art is real proof of that Colombian magic.

Also, regarding the colors you usually use on the artworks:

Juan: How do the colors relate to the experiences?

Camilo: Juan, I really like your question. Colors are everywhere, as we all know, and we frequently ignore them. However, after my journeys, the word "colorful" has taken on new meaning for me because when I think about colors, a bunch of feelings, emotions, and sensations all come to my mind. When I think of green, for example, I remember my experiences in the Amazon tropical rainforest. When I see purple or blue objects, I am reminded of the capital's active and bright streets.

Colors are capable of connecting thoughts and past memories in the human brain, and I try my best to portray the best moments of my past experiences through my art. Even though some individuals might find it difficult to travel to some of those remote locations, they may still explore these new worlds and possibly experience some of the same sensations through my art.

Juan: How did you feel when visiting those places?

Camilo: I'll tell you a story to answer your question, and maybe you'll get a sense of how I felt during my multiple expeditions. When I traveled to the Amazon, I felt a very strong connection with nature and indigenous cultures, and it was a completely unique experience. Their style of life is decades behind that of modern communities, but they enjoy it that way, and the majority of them refuse to move to big cities or towns because they like it better to live in handmade houses in the middle of the jungle.

You might be asking why they live the way they do, and I wondered the same thing. I discovered that these communities enjoy living in this way because they have all they need and are happy. One of the keys to their success is their deep connection with nature. The river supplies water, the forest provides food, and the trees create shelter. They also have their own school, religion, and natural medicines. They are satisfied, and is one of the things that surprised me the most, because despite their lack of access to technology, they manage to live a decent life without the help or intervention of other communities or organizations.

This adventure, like so many others, has changed my perspective on life and made me a more open-minded individual. People, places, and environment have encouraged me to reconsider what makes me happy and how I may discover my life's purpose. I hope my art can help the audience as well to look for what motivates their lives. I see myself as an optimistic and happy artist who wants to share those feelings with the rest of the world.

Juan: Can we change the world without changing the law?

Juan: Even in the 21st century many people still don't have access to fundamental human rights. LGBT couples in many countries cannot get married, or love who they love, can we change the world without changing the law?

Camilo: Yes, I think so. That is why I decided to join this Famiee project. My sister is part of the LGBT community and I think that it is important to support everyone’s happiness because we are all free to love who we want to love.

Juan: Do you think someday we will be able to change the law?

Camilo: I hope so, and I am really optimistic about it. However there is still a long journey until we get there. This is why we should opt for projects that can make huge positive impacts now.

I’ve met hundreds of people who belong to the LGBT community, and where I come from it is much more socially accepted nowadays. However, their fundamental human rights are not fully met. As an artist, and human rights defender I hope we can all contribute to positively transforming the world. By supporting Famiee, many families will be highly impacted and huge transformation for Japan and the world can be achieved. We are still on time, and we can make it a reality.

Juan: Before we finish I have one more question for you. What motivates you to do art?

Camilo: I remember I had a meaningful chat with my father regarding our life when I was around 14 years old. He told me about his experiences growing up and dreams, and then he asked me a question I'll never forget. "Make sure you not only chase your dreams, but also make them a reality," he said. When he said that I remember I thought about how much I wanted to be a great painter like Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci, or Vincent Van Gogh.

I am certain that his words inspired me to create art despite the difficulties I have faced. Whenever a challenge arises, all I do is think of my family, friends, and all the great times I've had in the past. I use it to motivate me to keep dreaming and, as my father once said, "make great things possible" in the future. I also make art because I've met a lot of excellent young artists in Colombia, Japan, and other parts of the world, and I'd like to inspire them. Many of them believe that art is not a path to success in life, but I hope to show them that if they want to be great artists, it is possible to achieve so.

Juan: Thank you for today, and thank you so much for your time!

 
▶ Famiee
▶ NFT Marketplace