Artist Spotlight Nicolas Urquiza

What catches your eye?
Another eye ... an "off" scene ... a bad guy seducing someone ... animals ... a beautiful guy in an ugly place ... smell of sex.

How do you choose your subjects?
They need to represent freedom. When my subject is a guy, he's probably a lover or a friend to be. If it is an object, it's usually something that attracted me by being incorrect or out of place.

How do you describe your work?
Polemic ... sometimes disturbing ... open-minded ... makes people think about their own limits, to make them put in a little work themselves. My work is active. It's alive.

What makes a good photograph to you?
An image that I will remember for the rest of my life ... something that I want to own.

Who are your favorite artists? And why?
I'm not sure if I have a favorite artist. I appreciate art as an expression of the moment we live. Every period in our history has amazing artists who we can look at today as symbols of their time.

I do like when an artist gives us a key to open new doors in our minds. We, as artists, are the ones that should guide other people to new understandings.

To mention a few: Felix Gonzalez-Torres ... Duane Michals ... Sebastiao Salgado ... Ruven Afanador. They all inspire me with the intensity of their images and their messages.