Griego performs in Miami

Deconstruction Worker
Artist Juan Griego Puts Performance on a Pedestal

By Lee Molloy

Artist Juan Jose Griego, 31, attended Hialeah Senior High School and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Florida International University. Griego followed his own artistic pursuits while serving apprenticeships under Exhibition Designer Richard Miltner, Master Carpenter, Chief Preparator and Art Handler William Kramer, and Lead Art Handler and Conservator Steve Forero-Paz at the Wolfsonian-FIU museum. Since he graduated in 1997, Griego has exhibited and curated a multitude of shows in South Florida. While concocting a dizzying spectrum of projects from mechanical to performance art pieces, he currently works as Chief Preparator, (i.e. the guy that actually prepares the art for exhibition), for the Bernice Steinbaum Gallery in Miami.

How did it all begin?
It began with watching my father create objects and small machines out of whatever we had available at home. Among them, he made exercise equipment, weapons and magnetic motors. I began to create my own, such as a door pull made of paper clips and rubber bands, remote control cars and small boats.

How you describe your artistic vision?
Gazing at objects, I wonder how they can serve another purpose, how can they merge, forming new objects that can act as vessels for the transference of ideas into the viewer/participant. With my work I attempt to engage the human desire to interact, as well as expose the viewer to performance as tactile acts and ritual.

What are the biggest challenges involved in using the mediums that you do?
The biggest challenge in using machinery is how to make the mechanical elements function properly, and also how to ensure their durability while a work is exhibited. You would be surprised at the number of people that thoroughly abuse the machinery I incorporate into my work. Since found objects are incorporated in the mechanics of a piece, a flawed system may require a new and different arrangement of objects that must be tested and fine-tuned.

"Hug Machine"

Your work centers on the physical. How does the space where you craft your installations play a role in the finished pieces? 
Site specificity does play a role in my work. My most site specific piece was in the Wolfsonian [FIU] Museum, where I wore traditional preparator garb (stained shirt, jeans, dust mask, steel-toed boots and leather gloves) and, among a crowd of museum visitors, I began to cut, assemble and paint a museum pedestal from scratch. It was about revealing the innards of the museum; what is generally hidden and underexposed, such as the pedestal itself which serves as a minimalist object existing only to support high art objects.

What’s the most flattering comment you’ve ever received about your work?
During the opening of “Full Load,” the first exhibit that featured “Hug Machine,” a gentleman walked up to me and asked if I was Cuban. He said that the immediate need to build an object to satisfy a human desire reminded him of the man who created a motorized boat out of Chevy truck, defunct Russian machines and steel barrels in order to flee Cuba. To be associated in any way with the Cuban of today (the inventor) is an honor.  

The most insulting?
It was not a comment but a lack of respect. In the “Miami-Timeline” performance, I was ‘delivered’ to the gallery during the opening night in a wheeled crate. An artist who knew I was in the crate began to spin and wheel it haphazardly around the exhibit. By the time the crate was placed in its final location, I was a little upset. The piece worked out to be fantastic at the end, so a big boo hoo to the person that spun me!

What has been your most memorable piece so far?
My most memorable has to be “Hug Machine.” I initially built it to replicate a human hug, but what is interesting is that the machine can never be as good as the real thing. It deals with our fascination with technology over human interaction. It is made of scrap wood painted gold. The face of the machine is my own, which plays on an integrated television that was found in the garbage. The participant steps on two pedals and the arms wrap around him or her. An old fan replicates my breathing, and a time clock/metronome replicates my heartbeat.

You also curate shows. What do you look for when you’re selecting artists or pieces?
I look for how the work pushes the theme of the exhibit. I also take into consideration race and gender equality. I wish to be as unbiased as possible, so I check myself every so often and make sure my Miamians are as equally [represented] as artists from all over the world.

What recent observations have you had about the art world and art market in general?
The art market is in shambles; therefore the art world is in a definite state of flux, with many galleries closing and collectors wondering what to do with their supposed investments. In a lovely conversation I had while driving Amalia Mesa-Bains [director of the Department of Visual and Public Art at California State University] to her hotel, we discussed how this market will slaughter the hip young artist that explodes into art stardom and resurrect the well-seasoned artist that has museum credentials, an education, and has shown extensively. What does this mean? We must produce multiple bodies of work, a common thread woven through them, and a level of mastery in the chosen field. In a nutshell, we must all pay our dues, no exceptions!

Why performance art?
Performance art is challenging but necessary in order to insert true humanity into the work. Before I began to use my body in my work, I struggled with how to make art human and how to establish a connection with the audience. Since objects do not speak for themselves I do as Shamans do in order to ensure the transference of information to the visitor. Also, we have to come up with another word for the term “Performance.” I believe it has lost credibility.

What’s next?
I am developing a new body of work using museum objects and gallery interiors to create Suprematist [an art movement focused on fundamental geometric forms] wall installations. The performative element will be that of the installer/preparator as orchestrator/director.

To find out more about Juan Griego, check back at the under-construction juanjosegriego.com.      

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