Joe Taveras I am a sponge for emotions, ideas, and cultural shifts.

I am a sponge for emotions, ideas, and cultural shifts.

©Joe Taveras

Joe Taveras: "As an artist who is very sensitive to energy around me, I am a sponge for emotions,

ideas, and cultural shifts."

We have the honour of introducing our readers to some of the world's most interesting artists and art discoveries. We meet the US artist Joe Taveras, who recently presented his new exhibition HERE NOW together with the artist Matthew Moloney in Paris. His art is fascinating, as the former robotics expert Taveras shows his research into the movement of matter and its interaction with the environment and the universe. His career in art is brand new and it was only in 2020 that the successful entrepreneur turned to creating a painting by chance and discovered his gift. True talent always prevails. During the Covid pandemic, he was commissioned to design partitions in Boston restaurants and his partitions painted in graffiti, cubism, and Italian futurism quickly made him known in the art world.

His Paris exhibition HERE NOW features several new paintings, drawings and sculptures by Taveras, all created in response to humanitarian crises around the world.

January 30, 2024

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Name: Joe Taveras

Occupation: Artist, Robotics Entrepreneur

Residence: Boston

You write in your manifesto that the works you debuted in your exhibition in Paris were created in response to humanitarian crises around the world?

Yes, as an artist who is very sensitive to energy around me, I am a sponge for emotions, ideas, and cultural shifts. Recent humanitarian crises around the world have shown some of the darker sides of human nature, shining a light on our shortcomings as a species. The works in my recent Paris exhibition in November of 2023 were created in response to these shortcomings.

"Ever since then, I have created art non-stop, translating the way I view the world into something tangible."

How is it that you have turned from your career as a robotics specialist to art?

This is a transition that I never really saw coming. I really enjoyed working with robots and seeing people experience robotic technology for the first time was very inspiring to me. It wasn’t until the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 that things began to shift at work. After my team was let go and the company’s HQ relocated, I decided that I was going to become an independent robotics distributor. Interestingly enough, one of the suppliers I was going to work with was based out of Düsseldorf, the same city that Alethea Magazine is based out of! As I began planning this venture, I had a bit of free time and decided to finish this paint-by-numbers artwork that my mother had given me. The painting was of the Buddha’s head, and upon its completion I had an epiphany that sparked an art obsession. Ever since then, I have created art non-stop, translating the way I view the world into something tangible.

You write that the development of visual technology in the form of art is important to you.

Yes! This is something I think about often. Consider this: the television in your living room is technology. There’s no doubt about that and I think everybody would agree with this statement. You can use the television for entertainment, or you can even learn something from looking at this technological platform on the wall. How is visual art any different? The art we create has the power to unlock new ideas, cause special memories to arise, and even lead to personal breakthroughs. My hope is that experiencing my art can serve as an entertaining or even educational experience in the same way that a television or other piece of technology can.

Joe Taveras in studio ©Joe Taveras

Joe Taveras in studio ©Joe Taveras

"To bring this perspective into existence is, in a sense, the role of the artist, which is to be free."

In your opinion, what is the role of an artist?

I like this question. I’m sure that my answer will change throughout my life, but right now, I believe that the role of the artist is to intentionally play with and mold the complex array of perceived multiplicity, to engage and sometimes be engulfed, to wonder, ask questions, and to remain curious, to listen, not with the ears, but with the heart. To bring this perspective into existence is, in a sense, the role of the artist, which is to be free.

Your career as an artist seems to be developing rapidly. Are you surprised by the speed of your success?

Every day I wake up with gratitude and fall asleep thankful. To know that my work resonates with so many around the world really does bring me great joy. Regarding whether or not I am surprised by the speed of my success, I actually feel the opposite: I feel like I am still just getting started and that there is still so much more to do. I really believe in the work’s ability to unlock important parts of the subconscious mind and it is my life’s mission to spread this vision to as many beings as possible on this planet and beyond.

Do you sometimes have to take breaks from your art?

My art is not separate from my being. I do not sit down and create art, but instead art gets created and destroyed around me constantly. If I could take a break from my art, then I wouldn’t be me.

What styles or artists have inspired you?

I am very inspired by motion, especially as it relates to time, so any styles that depict objects in motion usually speak to me. This makes me think of Futurism, Cubism, Kandinsky, Picasso, but also artists like Pollock, Krasner, and De Kooning, who incorporated movement into the foundation of their practice.

What are your next plans? Will you also be exhibiting in Germany?

Recently my style has been evolving in an intense way so I have been very focused on allowing these developments to bloom. I cannot wait to share these works with people in person so that all the rich details can be fully experienced. I would love to exhibit in Germany! Let’s make it happen!

Website: joetaverasart.com

Instagram: @joetaveras