A maverick of the art world, Rubio Parra, hailing from Colombia and now a creative force in Antwerp, stitches together the raw, untamed spirit of his homeland with the stark, often enigmatic European sensibilities. His art is not a mere blend; it's a provocative dance across continents, challenging the norms of death, afterlife, and the paranormal.

Gone are the days of art confined to conventional beauty. Rubio Parra's work, steeped in the supernatural, dives headfirst into the abyss of the unknown. In a world where cultures clash and meld, he finds harmony in dissonance, creating a visual language that speaks of both Colombia's vibrant lore and Europe's nuanced mystique. This duality isn't just his canvas; it's his battleground, where he wrestles with the ghosts of two worlds, giving them life through his eclectic artistry.

With The Chopped Off Head Magazine, Rubio Parra cuts deeper than aesthetics. It's a visual scream, a raw expression of frustration and a quest for understanding beyond language barriers. Here, images don't just complement text; they lead the narrative, a testament to Rubio Parra's relentless pursuit to articulate the inarticulable.

.artist talk
Eduardo José Rubio Parra
speaks with
Alban E. Smajli

Alban E. Smajli
Your art intricately ties your Colombian heritage with the European influences you've been surrounded by. How do you navigate this duality, especially when it comes to exploring topics of death, afterlife, and the unknown?

Eduardo José Rubio Parra
It may sound naive, and I probably was, but when moving from Colombia to Germany in 2015, I was not aware of how different cultures really are. It's not only language and customs, but also how we perceive ourselves, our surroundings, and especially that what is unknown to us. Growing up in Colombia, and I would dare say Latin America, stories of the supernatural are pervalent in society. It's not necessary to believe in it to know a person or people who have seen, felt, and or heard something that cannot be explained by the laws of nature.
I've always been fascinated by these stories, and during my time as an art student, I felt the urge to use them as references in the process of making art. But in this process, I soon realized that in Germany the perception of the supernatural is completely different from Colombia and Latin America. This made people not as engaged with my work as I wanted them to be, because it was too far from what they know. So I began to look for a way to "blur" the difference. I wanted my work to serve as a bridge between the world I grew up in -Colombia- and the one I was getting to know -Germany-. I realized that we can all relate to something that is strange or mysterious, especially in a creepy way. So the cornerstone of the bridge turned out to be "uncanniness".

The title of your publication, "The Chopped Off Head Magazine", is evocative and deeply personal. Could you elaborate on the moment or instance when this concept took root? How does the process of "chopping off one's head" to expose internal realities shape the content and presentation of your magazine?
The title of the magazine reflects what I felt every time I talked about my work without being able to make myself understood. Especially in a foreign language. When I had clear images in my head of what I was talking about, but found it difficult to translate them into words. At those times I wished I could cut my head off to show people those images. For this reason, "The Chopped Off Head Magazine" is predominantly visual. The first issue focused on me and my artistic practice, but from the second issue on, I will invite other artists and designers to "chop their heads off". The content and form of the future issues will be significantly influenced by the artists and designers and their interpretation of the concept of the magazine.

You've explored the realm of drawing and its inherent authenticity extensively. How has this exploration evolved over time, and in what ways has it informed your approach to other mediums, such as special effects makeup or performance art?
In fact, it was the other way around. The creation of characters based on me has always been an important aspect of my work. Through these characters, I study, among others, identity, supernatural phenomena, and fashion. Initially, I created characters for photo and video performances, making use of costumes and my skills as a special effects makeup artist.
Lately, I create these characters making use of the medium of Drawing as well. The medium of Drawing creates a distance between me and the characters, allowing them to exist more independently. With a photo and/or video, the characters' existence depends on me disguising myself for the camera. When I see a photo and/or video of these characters, I know I'm seeing myself. With a drawing, I can't assure that. The moment I come to this realization, the characters get to have a life of their own and everything seems possible within a drawing.

With a keen interest in blurring the lines between reality and fiction, how do you see fashion's role in challenging societal norms or perceptions? In what ways does your work in fashion editorials push the envelope in terms of content and presentation?
Fashion has always been a reference in my work. I love watching fashion shows and I'm fascinated by the great variety of characters that are created for a single catwalk. Characters that I only see for a couple of seconds, but their image is so striking that it sticks in my head for a long time. I like to create stories for these characters and imagine who they would be in the real world. I'm especially fascinated by how the same model can embody different characters. This fascination led me to start my latest and probably biggest project. "ANGEL" is an ongoing series of drawings consisting of portraits of different versions of myself. Each version embodies a vision of who I would like to be.
As humans, we have all experienced the desire to be someone else, but letting insecurities or life circumstances hold us back. My drawings allow me to be different versions of myself, unexposed, and be unapologetic about it. Starting from a place of doubt, fear, and limitations, my aim is to create characters and drawings that manifest the opposite and rather "exude" power. For each drawing, my identity is transformed through the use of existing fashion garments and different hairstyles. I see fashion as an enabler for personality change. Despite this work being very personal, identity, vulnerability, and empowerment concern us all.

You mentioned a desire to collaborate with other artists for future editions of "The Chopped Off Head Magazine". What qualities or perspectives are you seeking in these artists, and how do you envision these collaborations amplifying the magazine's ethos and message?
"The Chopped off Head Magazine" is all about collaboration! The magazine is meant to serve as a bridge between different artists, artistic disciplines, and cultures. The idea is to create an ever growing interdisciplinary and intercultural network and an international platform for the presentation of contemporary art, fashion and visual culture. The second issue, called "The Chopped Off Head Magazine: The Dead or Alive Issue", will be co-created by German artist Hannes Dünnebier and will deal with the topics death, life after death, supernatural phenomena, and the unknown. Death, for example, is a topic that concerns us all – however, due to the different contexts in which we grow and develop as individuals, our understanding of this concept is not the same. I am particularly interested in these differences and want to use them as the starting point for creation. The broader the perspectives, the better.