We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Carola Bravo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Carola thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I believe the learning process for an “arts profession” is the same as in any other profession. You have to study, research, and practice.

Since I was 12 years old, I studied art. I used to take painting classes once a week, and those classes were my space to develop creativity and a genuine love for the arts in general.

I have a long career as a student. First, I studied architecture, and then I did a master’s in Art History and a Ph.D. in Architecture. While studying architecture, I constantly took art classes on the side: painting, printing, drawing, etc., which introduced me to many art techniques and different conceptual approaches.

I didn’t need to speed up the learning process. I still study a lot. Taking steps, one at a time, will carry you to the next ones.

The most essential skills I learned through my learning process are determination, commitment, and constancy.

If you have determination, you can pass any obstacles that stand in your way,

Carola, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a Venezuelan-American artist, architect, and cultural activist based in Miami. My artwork ranges from immersive site-specific video and art installation to public art with a solid architecture background. My work explores how we experience and relate to spaces, creating a geometric ordering tied to history, memory, and time.
I have been subject to numerous group and solo exhibitions worldwide and have been featured in, among others, The Wall Street Journal, El Nuevo Herald, and ArtNexus Magazine. My solo exhibitions in Miami include: “Inhabited Geometries” (2019) Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, “Blurred Borders” (2016) at The Frost Art Museum, “We are where we are not” (2013) at The Screening Room.

Some of my awards and public art commissions are: The Bass Museum New Monument, Miami Beach (2023); MiGlo Project-Miami Lakes (2021); The Baptist Hospital-Doral (2019); Miami Dade Art in Public Places-Royal Caribbean’s Cruise Line Innovation Lab, Miami (2017); Honorable Mention for Public Intervention- XI Architecture National Biennale, Caracas-Venezuela (2014); “Lorenzo Il Magnífico Award” VII Biennale Internazionale dell’ Arte Contemporanea, Florence-Italy (1999); and the “First Prize” – 24th National Aragua Art Salon, Maracay, Venezuela (1999).

My interest in landscape, spaces, and territories has led to works influenced by topographies and maps. My trompe l’ oeil videos often depict myself drafting linear wall drawings as if I was present. The imagery and video projection illusively expand the confines of the physical place, challenging the assumption that art can be contained within walled spaces.

In 2014, I founded HARTVEST PROJECT, an art venture dedicated to promoting art appreciation and collecting. Bravo is a former Titular Professor and Architecture and Art Department Chair at Simon Bolívar University, Caracas, Venezuela.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Yes, there is a particular mission driving my creative journey. I want to inspire and nurture the human spirit through the experience of enjoying art. I envision a world where art breathes life into all homes and empowers people to appreciate the world in a more humane and considerate way.

In 2014, I founded HARTVEST PROJECT, an art educational venture dedicated to promoting art appreciation and collecting.

I firmly believe ART can dramatically transform us as human beings and improve our quality of life. Since 2014, and through Harvest Project’s educational programs, I have offered more than 200 art activities, workshops, and exhibitions promoting over 300 local artists. I have also created specific projects supporting local women artists. One is the Ciconia Art Collection, a membership program for art collecting.

I want to raise awareness, activate actions, and sweeten the customs of a society prone to intolerance and conflict by promoting art appreciation and collecting. Hartvest Project offers the experience of enjoying art through art immersive educational experiences.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Non-creative people struggle to understand that being a professional artist today takes as much preparation, study, research, sacrifices, and dedication as any other profession. When they are in front of an artwork, they usually don’t appreciate all the time and effort it took to create that piece.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.carolabravo.com/
• Instagram: @carolabravoartstudio
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolabravoartista/

Image Credits
Pilar Andujar Photograhy Albert Rodriguez Photograhy Zaire Photography