We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Regina San Martino a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Regina, appreciate you joining us today. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?
Hello! This is my story….Throughout my entire life, since I was 14 years old (I am now 43 years old) I have automatically drawn the same character without stopping. When I started art school, the representation of this character evolved with different artistic techniques. Drawing, painting, sculpture, engraving, costume, performance, photography, video. People (and myself) thought I was a “crazy” artist with my obsession. Until I was 38, I made exhibitions without being aware of where my art came from. My whole life was surrounded by this character who was my “muse”. One day in 2018 this “muse” appeared to me. He was my stepfather, I hadn’t seen him in 15 years. I only saw him for 15 minutes and in this short time he abused me, physically and psychologically. My way of reacting, so defenseless, made the message of my art even clearer to me, throughout all those years. From this moment everything makes much more sense. “I’m not crazy.” Now I am clear about what my mission in this life is. Share my story and in this way give visibility to an issue so important, so common and so hidden in society: “child abuse.” When I share my story, many people talk to me and have the opportunity to understand their past and open up. It is very exciting to feel how you help heal other souls and through them I continue to heal mine. Without communication there is no evolution. The new generations must have the possibility of being more aware, knowing how to defend themselves and growing up in a healthier environment to be trauma-free adults and, above all, not repeat actions. This is how society evolves healthily.
Regina, 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?
Hello, I’m Regina San Martino Rossell. My stage name is Register Registrated. After finishing my accounting degree, I felt the need to investigate my artistic side since in my accounting notes there were more drawings than numbers. Since then I have immersed myself in different techniques and fields. Paint murals (for private commissions), exhibitions (painting, sculpture, video art, photography) and performance art. Normally the people who hire me trust a lot in my artistic judgment (especially in terms of performance). I have had a lot of freedom of content. I usually define myself as: ageless, tender and violent, the main point is not trying to please, detail-oriented, each creation has its soul, its complaint. But always with a playful point. I like the interaction with the viewer. Make him part of my show, not just a simple spectator. Regarding private commissions: I am not tied to any technique or field, I talk to my clients, I listen to them, I understand them and I try to “be the hand of their brain.” Right now I am very focused on finding links (people and spaces) to be able to spread my personal story and all the art that I have generated and continue to generate around the topic: child abuse. I actually live in Barcelona, Spain. I was born in Argentina. My Instagram is @reginaisregistrated and for a particular project regarding my family and cultural roots @register.registrated you can also contact me by email at [email protected] or [email protected]
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
For me, the most interesting thing about being born creative and then being able to evolve as an artist is the way I manage my resilience. Using my creativity I transform into art everything that I don’t like about myself, bad thoughts, situations that have hurt me, people who have passed through my path and for some reason are no longer by my side and it makes me sad. But be careful! This doesn’t mean I don’t have the ability to create beautiful things. You take advantage of your inner strength to recover from a setback or challenge. I also find that it is a universal way of communicating, no matter what language you speak or what culture you have, through images you can dialogue with many people. Reach a probably deeper, more spiritual level of communication. And above all, I love what I do very much.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Sure! …well…I have many. The most important one in my life is the one I described in my previous answers. The way I turned my experience with child abuse into performance drawings and video that I really enjoyed. But I have many more. I will tell another anecdote. Two years ago my best friends (my chosen family) scammed me. Suddenly nothing was what it seemed. Just while I was going through that sad period, I was hired to do a performance in a theater in Barcelona, to perform before Pino D’Angiò, an Italian Italo-disco singer, came on stage. It was difficult for me to accept it but I did it. I had a hard time concentrating, I was out of ideas, like gray. I looked in the mirror and told myself they can mistreat you and leave you sad but they will never take away the colors that you carry inside, because they depend only on you. I created a sad character crushed by life who decides to commit suicide, but when he does so he takes off his skin and a character with colored balls appears that when you hit them they shine, without gender, without age. Bright colored balls that he throws to the public. The show was very successful and I was very satisfied. It helped me heal.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @reginaisregistrated / @register.registrated
- Facebook: Register Registrated
- Youtube: @MissRegistrated
- Other: reginasanmartino.tumblr.com / [email protected] / [email protected]
