We met Cris a few years ago in a skateshop in Barcelona. His photographs and work really atracted us, we think there is an aesthetic connection with his work and SAR, after some skate afternoons we thought that could be a good a idea to shoot some photos at the Mies Van Der Rohes pavilion with our friend Adrian Birta, so here it goes:
How it was your first approach with photography?
I think it was when my parents got me a phone for christmas when i was about 16 years old. Well maybe not then, because that first phone didn’thave a camera, like back in the days when phones were for actually calling people.
But it was through a cellphone i had...I remember walking to school with it on my hand and thinking: “wow if i wanna take a picture of that tree right now i can do it and its immediatly on the screen, what a crazy world”...
But it wasn't until I turned 22 or something when i started using it as some sort of artistic expression. I’ve, of course, been always interested in the world of image and art in general so photography became some kind of a challenge ive never been used to before; You have this real world in front of your eyes and you dispose the elements you see somehow to create an image with them.
Before that it was just pencils and paper, more like creating something from nothing.
You're working with a band now, tell us a little more
Yes, i’ve worked with my friend Keith Zarriello (The Shivers) for creating all the image of their last album. Im happy to say that its been an incredible experience since he gave me so much freedom till the point the project felt like mine.
Being able to say that makes me terribly happy.
I think my new years resolution is to only work wth nice people.
Do you think that skateboarding influenced the way of approach photography and your way to experience life in a aesthetic way?
I would say it did influence my art in general, I wouldn't say in a aestethical way.
It specially helped my photography because how spontaneous both things can be. You just get used to spontaneity, and thats a very strong weapon.
We're it comes from your alias "La Melancolia"?
There’s a very good movie tittled that way,but I don’t think it belongs on my list.
“La Melancolia” is the name i came up with to define my visual work, not a constant state of mind of myself. But maybe a modus operandi of artistic creation. Is it when we struggle when we leave our mark on what we do? I think thats how its always been for me. Give me what i can’t have.
