An Interview with Roland Santana
Aimee Resnick (she/her) - February 7, 2024
Roland Santana is a Chicago-based artist known for his innovative use of non-traditional materials, including reclaimed foam, silicone, plaster, and concrete. Strongly influenced by his early experiences observing his father's industrial processes as a house painter, his work encompasses a constantly evolving, abstract language. His vibrant colors have gained national acclaim, and he was recently named 2022's Breakout Artist for NewCity Magazine. This week, we sat down to discuss the Chicago landscape, uncomfortable art work, and electronic dance music.
NAR: To be honest, the first thing that struck me was your style. Tell me about your fashion inspiration.
Santana: I like to be eclectic when it comes to my style, just like my paintings I’m into mixing bright colors, patterns, texture. Also, a big part of my fashion is honestly about being cozy and comfortable on the daily and in the studio.
I like oversized tees and pants. There is a 90’s Japanese magazine by street photographer Shoichi Aoki called Fruits.The fashion in there is maximalist than my style, but I very much get inspired by people who can layer many accessories and become walking artworks.
NAR: Chicago is often stereotyped as cold, bland, and industrial. Where do you find beauty in the city?
Santana: I actually don’t look away from those stereotypes, especially the industrialness. I think there is a beauty in Chicago’s gritty feel. I love to look at the distressed walls, and rusted metal pieces from old construction sites. When you spend a little more time here you start to see the details in the city, beauty for me has a broad definition.
I am very inspired by moments that were man made then taken over by nature. We are lucky to have the lake nearby, which supplies energy for life to grow into our city. I also keep my head up looking at the skies, the clouds move differently here from other places, they move fast, and constantly change, allowing for my imagination to run wild.
NAR: In previous interviews, you’ve discussed painting houses with your father as a teen. In what ways does your current artistic practice honor and diverge from this heritage?
Santana: Working in construction with my dad was not easy, but it was a pivotal time in my artistic practice. It was my first exposure to a lot of the materials that I still use today. Working with those materials I began to understand how they dried and worked along with paint. I was never intentionally trying to be a perfectionist with those materials, in fact I did a lot of things the way they shouldn’t, experimenting with the outcomes. For me that is where things get interesting when they turn out like they're not supposed to.
NAR: Your works draw surreal, dream-like vibrancy from everyday materials like foam, concrete, drop cloths, and other occupational items. At what point does the mundane lose recognizability?
Santana: I like to explore new worlds in my work. I think painting can be metaphorically a form of interdimensional travel, sometimes you can see something that resembles our reality, and other times things can be completely alien which is really cool. At the end of a good studio day, I like to leave with more questions than answers, it keeps the fuel going for the next studio session.
NAR: In your artistic canon, clashing colors dominate. What does contrast mean to you?
Santana: I approach every artwork of mine as if it were the first time seeing colors. I go off of feelings rather than a formulaic approach, and I tend to lean to things that are awkward. Doing things the “right” way sometimes I believe is the surface level of an artwork, the wrong turns although challenging and discomforting is like exploring a new frontier. I love that we are not perfect beings, and we have the freedom to make mistakes, that is motivating for me. I attempt to capture that in my work. We usually try to hide this side of ourselves or have a negative outlook on it, for me it is the most authentic thing to do. I still have an appreciation for things that are typically seen as beautiful in our society, I love those artworks too. I just like to show both of my sides.
NAR: I love your drawings. How does decontextualizing the human body transform our relationship with it?
Santana: The human body has so much resemblance to our surroundings in nature, and the more you look the more you notice how we share similarities to the trees, flowers and little bugs. I use the human body as a road map where I can begin a painting or drawing. Organic shapes are freeing to work with and my movement of the brush on canvas or pen on paper is like a dance.
NAR: Tell me about your relationship with queer nightlife. How does it impact your art?
Santana: My dad was always into electronic music, and he would show me a lot of the early stuff from the 90’s. So from a young age I was deeply interested in that genre of music, it was one of the reasons why I moved from Virginia to Chicago for its history in house music which was pioneered by the Black and POC queer community.
The best parties are queer and the best music is queer, no question. I want to be surrounded by people who express themselves without hiding. I am moved by the community in many ways, and grateful for the spaces I have danced in. Dancing gives life - it is my personal definition of freedom, which is something I’m always striving for in my art making process.
NAR: You’ve previously stated that “content on social media translates to professional opportunity” in the modern world. How do you believe social media has changed artistic communities?
Santana: Social media is constantly changing and I think now it actually is working against artists and creators. There was more range at the beginning of it where pleasing the algorithm was not so important. It can still be a beneficial tool, but as artist’s we have to do more detaching. Doing things for the algorithm forces artist’s to unauthentically represent themselves in order to get their work out there.
We have to start seeing social media as only one way, and to not get so taken over by it where we are putting a lot of attention on a daily basis. Going out to the shows, or having your own DIY shows, attending community gatherings and building an email list are some ways that are as important to spreading awareness of your work.
NAR: What is the RUPTURE project? Walk us through the database and micro-emailing processes.
Santana: Rupture is an online BIPOC visual artist directory, where you can discover artists who are based in Chicago. I created it at the beginning of the pandemic in order to create connection in my community during times that felt uncertain. Since creating the directory I have added more than 70+ artists, and have had the amazing opportunity to curate shows and other programs with it. My goal for this directory is to spread awareness on overlooked talent and share resources with my community. My future plans are to develop the site to be experiential and user friendly, and collaborate with artists on different content series.
NAR: You’ve previously hosted events like Suelta that blend music and painting into an immersive sensory experience. Which musical artists are you following right now? Who should we be listening to?
Santana: That show was so fun, my collaborator Camilo Medina has a really cool band that you all should check out named Divino Nino. Everything I do, I like to have an eclectic taste in, same goes for my music, I rarely listen to a song more than twice. I bounce around from ambient music, to electronic dance, classical, jazz and rock. One of my favorite electronic/ ambient music bands today is Salamanda, a duo from South Korea.
Please note: this interview has been edited for length and clarity.
