"My goal now is to move my works through centers, galleries, and drawing and painting competitions. I am proud to say that, in general, what I have set out to do, I have achieved, and I would love to make my work visible and start giving weight to my artistic project," explains artist Irene Lazuen, while sipping an oat milk latte first thing in the morning to the relaxing and hypnotic rhythm of Lofi beats. "But there's a problem," she adds.
—A problem? Which one?
The painter narrows her cocoa-colored eyes. "I have an internal battle. One part of me wants my work to be seen and recognized, but another part detests the idea of being part of the art gallery world and everything that surrounds it. I am repelled by the ego and elitism that sometimes, not always, permeates that environment." And that seems to have been, to date, the main obstacle when it comes to lighting the fuse and giving her career the prescriptive bang. That internal battle that style, hand, sensitivity, and craft suggest she will win.
Even so, these dilemmas that hinder that necessary upward impulse in the parishioner's trajectory are not an impediment for her to feel "very happy to have managed to live from what I studied, in such a precarious present where many people are not working in their field." And she sips her steaming drink, before finishing: "And I'm not just referring to artists."
The talent of teaching
Irene assures that her love for art and drawing comes from childhood. "It's something that has always been present for me. I can't conceive my life without painting or drawing. When I was little and they asked me what I wanted to be, I always answered that I wanted to be a painter." Logically, upon finishing compulsory education, she catapulted herself towards the artistic baccalaureate at Escola Massana. "That meant a complete change of mentality and a new path of experiences." From there to the next step: "The Fine Arts degree at the Universitat de Barcelona, which left me a bit cold, but from which I gained knowledge and many friendships." And, after her studies, entry into the working world, "which has been varied, but always within the artistic field."
For a few years, and without ever stopping painting and drawing, exhibiting and taking commissions, the parishioner earned a living by tattooing. This continued until that fateful 2020 marked by a forced confinement that led so many people to rethink their lives and circumstances. "Then, my life took a curious turn. You know what it's like to be self-employed, there were months when I struggled financially and I wanted to find something extra to earn a fixed income." Her sister then suggested she consider looking for opportunities in the field of teaching, "something I had never, ever considered, because I didn't see myself as a teacher," but she told herself, why not try.
"I explored several academies. Initially, none of them excited me until I found La Gràcia." The first contact went well. "The initial idea was to work few hours a week, but in the end, they offered me more hours and I accepted." Irene discovered another talent she carried within: that of teaching.
After combining art, teaching, and tattooing for a year, "working many hours, ending up exhausted and without all that effort compensating me," she finally decided to dedicate herself entirely to the academy and painting. "And the truth is that I am very satisfied with what I am doing. I feel happy to have a fixed salary, because the truth is I hated being self-employed with all its ups and downs and its paperwork!"
Hostile city
The artist was born and raised in Barcelona, a city she has loved all her life. As a lover of the horror genre, her imagination soars with urban legends such as that of Enriqueta Martí, The Vampire of Ponent Street, whose arrest, in 1911, fueled stories and conjectures "about the fact that she kidnapped and murdered children to use their fat, blood, hair, and bones to prepare ointments and creams for wealthy society." Fables that, even today, more than a century later, remain embedded in the cultural heritage of the city.
For a few years, and without ever stopping painting and drawing, exhibiting and taking commissions, Irene Lazuen earned a living by tattooingBut that love that united her to Barcelona has resulted in what the parishioner describes as "a not very good relationship in recent years, with this city that I have felt as my home for so long, and that has changed a lot, becoming something very different, hostile."
—What exactly do you mean by hostile?
"I mean that living here has become impossible, the cost of housing and living is unsustainable for people with ordinary salaries. Furthermore, the city is dirty and overcrowded. In fact, for this reason, I have been considering moving out for a long time to live better, and closer to nature," replies Irene Lazuen, who finishes her coffee and prepares to go to work, taking advantage of the fact that, for her, "the first hours of the day are her favorites."