Carlos Aquilino

Biography

Carlos Aquilino was born in Madrid (Spain) in 1947, the city where he lives and works. As a self-taught artist he has been painting, drawing, and sculpting from a young age. With a great creative talent, Aquilino works on various supports, showing mastery of drawing, painting and sculpture. He has built his own personality shaped by cross-cultural experiences by traveling and living in artist residencies in different countries.
His work has been shown in many different national and international art exhibitions. It has been spoken of in a lot of magazines and catalogs and it belongs to some private and public collections.  Some of his works have been on the front cover of poetry books and art magazines (New York Arts Magazine, VOL 15, Spring 2010 and the poetry magazine The Cumberland River Review, number 2-4, Fall 2013) and they have been awarded in international competitions.
Carlos Aquilino says in his statement: My works emerge from the emotion, in a spontaneous and intuitive way. My creation is always direct, I do not prepare sketches in advance. I draw and paint almost every day in my life, it is a real priority that let me enjoy.

What’s your background?

As a self-taught artist I has been painting, drawing, and sculpting from a young age. My own personality was built from intercultural experiences traveling and living in different artist residencies around the world.

Throughout my life, my work has been shown in many different national an international collective and solo exhibitions, and it has been a very important part of learning my trade as an artist.

What does it mean to you to win the Collectors Art Prize?

I am very happy to win the Collectors Art Prize 2023. This is an opportunity to advance my career. It helps me get a wider audience and more recognition for my work.

What do you think is the role of art in the world today?

From my point of view, both today and throughout history, art is very important in our lives, since it excites us, stimulates us and makes us happy, helping us to overcome the sadness and troubles of everyday life.

All the arts evolve over time, but emotion is intrinsic to art at any time in history whatever the technique used. I think, as Nietzsche affirms, that “art must above all beautify life”.

What would it be if you could change one thing about the art world?

It is very clear to me what is the first thing that has to change in the art world. It is not easy to make a living from this profession. Any artist who dedicates himself body and soul to painting, sculpting..., has a very difficult time surviving. I don't know how it can be changed, but it is absolutely necessary for this situation to change.

What are your most significant professional achievements?

In my already long life I have been fortunate to have many professional satisfactions, but perhaps the residence scholarship that I obtained at the Royal Academy of Spain in Rome, Italy, was for me one of the most important achievements, because it was my first scholarship and my first stay abroad. It was followed by other scholarships and other international awards, but the impact on my professional development that the scholarship in Rome had was one of the most important.

 What do you wish to tell viewers about your work that might not come out explicitly? What do you hope to inspire with your artwork?

I would like viewers to know that I work every day of my life trying to get the best out of myself to be able to communicate what circulates through my imagination and the beauty that I live intensely in my dreams.

I hope to inspire beauty and emotion with my artwork.

What advice would you give to the upcoming generation of artists?

I would like to say to the upcoming generation of artists that the most important thing is to love what you do, to enjoy it and to work very hard. It seems to me that this is the case in any profession to which you want to dedicate your life.

In what direction would you like to see your career go in the next five years?

In the coming years and in all those that come I would love to paint feeling that I am able to express the dreams of my mind.

And above all I would like, quoting the poet Kavafis,

“.... the path to be long,
full of adventures, full of experiences.
Do not fear the Laestrygonians or the Cyclops
nor the angry Poseidon,
such beings you will never find on your way,
if your thinking is high, if you select
it is the emotion that touches your spirit and your body...”

Country Spain

Website www.carlosaquilino.com