ALEJANDRA SMITS, POETRY, FOOTBALL AND REVOLUTION

She writes, does performances and intervenes in different types of creative projects. Alejandra Smits is a multidisciplinary artist who likes to explore all types of formats, but narrating is always the backbone of every single one of her projects. And in the end, it’s always the same thing: telling stories. Alejandra participates with Mans O and Candela Capitán in the video that we made for the launch of adidas Consortium’s Sobakov Boost x SVD together with Querida studio, in which she recites one of her poems, written for the occasion. We take advantage of this opportunity to talk with her about identity, inspiration, honesty and poetry.

“Poetry is everywhere, it’s unavoidable”, says the artist, daughter of a Dutch father and a Venezuelan mother, but based in Barcelona for a while now. And even though she’s sure of the fact that her roots influence her work, she also admits that she’s inspired by what the people around her are doing, and the city she lives in. Her energy, powerful and even revolutionary, is also conveyed in the poem that she has written for the film. “What I like about football”, she says, “is that it can make a group of people fight for a common goal. I find that the energy that that unanimity can generate is very powerful”.

You devote yourself to writing, both in verse and prose, but you also upload videos of performances and you have participated in all types of projects, would you define yourself first as a writer or do you consider yourself more of a multidisciplinary artist?

I’ve always had a hard time identifying myself as a ‘writer’, because I feel like I need to experience what I write or imagine from other dimensions, like performance or interpretation. But I’ve been writing ever since I was seven years old, it is something that I’ve never stopped doing and it’s the guiding principle to everything I do. In the end, everything is a narration and what I’m most interested in is investigating and experimenting with the forms and the barriers of the formats that allow me to tell stories.

What do you think is the element that connects all of your projects?

At a formal level, writing. But, conceptually, I think it’s identity, unity/duality, the craziness that comes with being alive and a sense of humour.

It’s been a while since you published Lo que pasa cuando no pasa nada, I believe that you’re working on your newest collection of poems, have you already released it or will you do it soon? What can you tell us about it?

Yes, it’s been four years since Lo que pasa cuando no pasa nada (time flies). I’m looking forward to publishing my second collection of poems, I can say that it will be released by the end of the year and it will come with a show that I’m still thinking of, in which I want different disciplines to converge.

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What does poetry mean to you?

For me, poetry is essence compressed in words. Big things said in few words. It’s a rhythm and a gaze. It’s everywhere, it’s unavoidable.

As mentioned before, your projects are very visual. Instead of showing off a perfect life on Instagram, you never hide your feelings and you openly talk about your insecurities; however, always with a good dose of humour, very characteristic of your work. Do you feel that your account is your personal diary that you share with the world? Do you have any kind of rules when it comes to sharing your work or do you do it with the most absolute freedom?

I don’t really think about the coherence of my content when I’m about to share something. I guide myself by what I feel is sincere and coherent with myself. But yes, unintentionally, a sort of emotional diary has been created, it’s like a rollercoaster. I guide myself by my intuition, which it usually doesn’t fail me. I use stories a lot, I feel very comfortable with that format, it’s where I show by most vulnerable self, trying, as you say, to add a touch of humour.

I’m saying this because you’re not afraid of showing your body off, what’s the importance of that in your work?

Showing off my body has changed my life. It has meant that I have been able to overcome a deeply-rooted fear and insecurity. It has helped me to see that nothing is too important, the game’s always there and most rules that we believe are indelible, they’re totally adjustable. My body is one of the tools that I have when working. I love it, I take care of it and indulge it, but at the same I doubt its importance. And, when in doubt, I like having a laugh.

You were raised in Caracas and you’re the daughter of a Dutch father and a Venezuelan mother, but you share your aesthetic and style with other artists that also take part of the scene in Barcelona, like Carlota Guerrero or Paloma Lanna. Would you say that you’re more inspired by what surrounds you than things from the past or does everything count?

I guess that what I’ve been able to inherit from such different cultures like my father’s and my mother’s has greatly influenced me in how I understand certain concepts. But, yes, on an aesthetic level my friendships greatly inspire me and I believe that we have very similar ways of understanding the visual language. And, still, I always have a hard time truly identifying my referents. But it ranges from musicians, actors, directors, comic, female writers, painters etc.

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Tell us what participating in adidas’ video for Sivasdescalzo was like. Had you collaborated before with Candela or Mans O?

It was a very fluid process. I had never worked with Candela before but I loved getting to meet her and seeing her dance live. I had collaborated with Mans O before, in many occasions actually, we were a couple for almost five years. It’s been great collaborating with him now that we’re friends.

Are you a football fan?

No, not at all. But I wrote a poem last year about my neighbours, who are big football fans.

In the poem that you wrote for the video, you seem to compare the moment the audience celebrates a goal with the same kind of energy and fashion that is brought by a revolution. Is that how you connected the football or sports side with the feeling of freedom and change that was felt after the World Cup?

Yes. What I like about football is that it can make a group of people fight for a common goal. I find that the energy that that unanimity can generate is very powerful, even unstoppable. Very close to the kind of energy that a revolutionary movement gives off.

What are you working on at the moment, could you tell us a bit about your future projects?

I’m finishing my second collection of poems, I’m planning a movie, building a disciplinary platform called Vitamin, I’m daring to experiment with the actress that I have inside of me, healing my wounds, focusing on the love that I have for myself and others. Trying to decipher corners of this crazy existence, generally-speaking.

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Photos: Viridiana Morandini