Meet Leandro Comrie | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Leandro Comrie and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leandro, looking back, what do you think was the most difficult decision you’ve had to make?
Being an artist was always a balance between my artistic career and my “day job”. My day job would, sometimes, take a little more that it should from my artistic life. However, I always managed to keep a good balance between the two. For many years I worked for a translation company that would assigned me to projects across the US. In 2014 they offered me a position in sunny San Diego, CA. The new position offered good money, paid lodging and car, a hefty stipend, plus perfect weather, beaches, friends and all the goodness southern California has to offer. But keeping the balance between my artistic life and my job as a translator was no longer working. My new position demanded other duties that were encroaching on my artist life and I was not happy with that. Leaving the position was a tough decision because it offered what seem to be an ideal life. Coming back to my “old life” was unnerving. I spent the next few months petrified, riddle with anxiety and not knowing what to do next. But I knew I had made the right decision. In a matter of weeks I started meeting all sorts of people in the art circle of Jersey City and began showing around town. Meeting great people who supported my work and gave me the opportunity to show it. Coming back to New Jersey opened up a floodgate of creativity and connections in the arts in NJ and NY. I went from not creating much at all to creating all the time. Tough decisions are necessary to elevate us to the next level. They are not easy, and we dread them, but once we go through them and see what they offer, difficult decisions become a gateway to new heights and new possibilities.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have always been drawn, no pun intended, to drawing and painting. Art for me is a place of refuge, of dreaming, of solace and strength. Art is a powerful weapon to denounce injustices but also to celebrate greatness. My work is about emotions, relationships and how we experience them in different settings. I have spent years, and I have a feel that I will continue to do so, looking for the right words to explain what my work is about. I tried to sound intellectual, funny, casual or unattached but most explanations fall short to what really happens in my brain when I create a work of art. I am fascinated with life and how it happens. I have lived in many places and countries and every experience has been immensely different. I am the same person in all of them, what changes is my surroundings, the language and customs, the social codes and those things have an impact on how people perceive me and even how I perceive myself. Far from doing a literal translation of this, I take a more intuitive approach and surrender to creating an experience. Using color as a powerful tool to convey emotions and ideas and my representation of the human figure is often a bit skew to challenge the common perception of beauty or humanity. I would like to think that my work can be seen as being universal and that it speaks to a wide range of people. But most of all I would like to think that my work elicits a reaction of happiness, rage, lust, tranquility or anxiety, is all good. Stirring our emotions allows us to grow and enlightenment of any kind, is very important to me. I don’t paint solely about one story or focus on one sentiment. The human experience is a combination of emotions that rise and subside. Therefore, my work can be a mix of heartbreak, love, death, friendship, lust, kindness, sexuality, spirituality among other things, things that as human beings we can relate to. As an artist, I am intrigued by how we negotiate these aspects of our lives and how we navigate life itself in different times and spaces.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
At the moment I am visiting Panama City, Panama where my family resides. I love showing people around this great place and the first thing I usually show them is the great wonder of the Panama Canal. Then my favorite places, people and activities are: Nice strolls through Casco Viejo, stop at the local shops and cafes and walk into the Mola Museum to learn about the magical world of the Guna people and their molas. Breakfast at Niko*s, lunch at Norexpress, my favorite Chinese restaurant in El Dorado; it doesn’t get more authentic than this. Rooftops at Tantalo, Lazotea and Casa Casco. Mercado Urbano at Ciudad del Saber on Saturdays or Sundays to check out local artists and the local farmer*s market. Check out local artists Chabela Sicz @chabelasicz.ecotextiles and Giana de Dier @gianadedierstudio to support the local art. Check out Museo de Arte Contemporaneo @mac_panama. Beach tours to Taboga Island, Contadora and San Blas. Nature hikes at the Parque Metropolitano, Cerro Ancon and Gamboa. Book a tour to spend a day with the Embera people at their village at the Gatun Lake and drive out to San Lorenzo to cross the Panama Canal on the Caribbean side. Last but not least take an early morning stroll on the Amador Causeway and check out the Bio Museum. Panama has many exciting and beautiful places to see so don*t hesitate to come!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Tiana for the years of unconditional everything. Marielys for being one of my great artistic inspirations. Jonathan and Walter for every amazing creative minute we spend together. Melina for opening a world of creativity to Nailah and letting me be part of that world. Ivette Urbaez for always impressing me with her genius. My cousin Jacquie and the endless conversation about color and life. I am blessed to have a lot of people who support me, mentor me, love and encourage me so this is a big thank you to all of you.

Website: www.leandrocomrie.com

Instagram: malandri

Facebook: Leandro Comrie

Other: https://www.manacontemporary.com/artists/comrie-leandro/