First Impressions
An Interview with Alejandro Cesarco Early in the Mentorship
What happened during your first meeting with John Baldessari for the start of the mentoring year?
The mentoring year started with me spending almost three weeks in Los Angeles last summer. We discussed our likes, dislikes, and got to know each other’s working methodologies, and I got to experience first-hand his rigorous practice. John proved to be extremely generous and giving with both his time and knowledge.
What are your goals for the mentoring year?
The goal of the programme for me is to learn and benefit from John’s experience and positions. The ultimate goal would be to establish a friendly, professional relationship with John that would extend well beyond the mentoring year.
At this stage, what form does your interaction with John Baldessari take?
We interact informally and sporadically. We talk on the phone about once every two weeks. John has visited NY several times since August, and we have met on each one of these occasions. He’s visited a show of mine while here, and we’ve begun to think about possible modalities of collaboration, and so forth. The communication has been fluid and productive. John is exceptionally witty, frank, and harbours no preconceptions on pretty much anything.
What is it about John Baldessari's work that speaks to you most?
I particularly value John’s continuous need to blur the boundaries of the categories by which we understand art. A quick, perhaps simple, example is his latest show. Were the works sculptures, photographs or paintings? What do each one of these categories represent and mean? I think that is one of the issues John is working with.
What art works will you create in the next few months?
I am currently working on several projects at once. As of late, this seems to be the methodology, many things at once, all criss-crossing each other. John will be asked to give his opinion and suggestions as these ideas develop but, I think, obviously, his more “hands-on” involvement will come with our possible collaboration.