At that time, San José was home to a living, breathing example of a dream come true.
Two inspired youngsters, Jorge Jiménez and Giselle Zamora, ventured off to Italy 43 years ago where they blazed a trail, had a son named Esteban, and built a life together. They often return to Costa Rica and visit with a profound maturity and depth of thinking that’s echoed within their sculptures too.
Boasting an unparalleled intensity and tireless tenacity, Jorge Jiménez Martínez (whose artistic name is Deredia) is the most important sculptor of our time and one of the most prominent Latin American artists in the global arena.
However, fewer people know about the depth of his thinking, the cosmic significance present within each ton of marble or the thread that links each one of his art works together.
During the launch of his exhibition in San José last year, he talked about these things in a masterful way – and he also gave the same wonderful explanation in his audiobook, one which I was eager to share at the time and again with you now.
Almost five hours in length, “An Artist’s Inner Journey” (El Viaje Interior de un Artista) was produced by Fusión Digital, part of advertising agency Tribu. It took nearly four years to complete, and can be shared and listened to for free, available in Spanish only.
I kicked off my foray into advertising as a speaker and voice over, so it was a great experience for me to get back into the studio and record Jiménez Deredia’s audiobook. The couple is also a dear friend, we love them dearly and today consider them extended family, so I was more than happy to help pro bono. Accompanying me with the recording was Rosa María Solano, with music from Carlos Loría and Ricardo Oviedo.
One of my favourite quotes from Deredia at the time is as follows: “I believe we’re star dust in a constant state of evolution.” The statement still rings true today.
From this humble little corner of the world a year and a half later, I’m keen to share Deredia’s audiobook with you again. The salient points still carry weight today, and possibly even more so, given the pandemic and all the disruption our world has experienced so far in 2020.
I’d encourage you to give it a listen if you have a spare moment. Or five hours!
