SUSO FANDIÑO
EARLY YEARS
Suso Fandiño grew up in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. As a teenager, Fandiño liked to look at illustrated art books, fascinated by the images of XIX and XX centuries. He also showed an interest in cinema, visual arts and underground music scene being and active member of several local bands. Music is indeed his first contribution to art, as a musician and especially making illustrations, flyers and art work for his band, record labels and other bands of the early hardcore-punk scene in Galicia. Despite his sometimes bad behavior during the high school, he made his way to college. He will study Art History at the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela and Arts in the Universidad de Vigo years before. During these college days it was time for his firsts exhibitions, articles and texts written to several magazines.
EARLY CAREER
Fandiño and his fellow students became part of an emerging movement in Galicia. They were known for their change of address in art concepts on regard with the previous generation known by the name of “Atlántica generation”, close in its approach to the Neo-expressionism of the early eighties. One of Fandiño's early works, "Tontoelquelolea”," illustrates his interest in art as a language and in art establishment as enviroment. In this piece the displays a huge stainless sign with the text “tontoelquelolea”, “Dumb who read this”. This kind of language filled of irony and sarcasm will become a common way to express in part of his future career. In 2001, had his first solo exhibition “ Sample Collection” at the Ad Hoc Gallery in Vigo directed by Inés Ramiro. He also participated in the MARCO exhibition “Indisciplinados” curated by Nuria Güel the following year. There, he displayed "The Brillo Boxes Replica", a blowup of an illustration of the renowned work of Andy Warhol, Suso Fandiño starts here his approaching to the appropiationism and use of art history as raw material itself in his works. It is time for his first appearance in ARCO art fair and other important fairs. In 2002 he was part of the cycle of exhibitions “Miradas Virxes” with a solo exhibition curated by David Barro, this event will be crucial to understand art of those days and the following generational change. Fandiño continued with other important steps in his way, he was part of the generational exhibition “Urbanitas” in the MARCO, curated by Carlota Alvarez Baso and Iñaki Martinez. There he showed "My selfportrait as a fountaine," an video-installation piece that featured a visual play with the famous work of Bruce Nauman, "My selfportrait as a fountaine" , this play pretended a large piss instead a fountain These controversial and sometimes gruesome works, Fandiño soon became one of the best known Galician artists in the first decay of the XXI century.
CAREER
Fandiño starts his career with a lot of solo and collective exhibitions in art galleries, art events and art institutions around the country and he is fully active today, attending to the most important fairs, contests and events in Spain and other countries. During his career Suso Fandiño has been taking images and forms from works by well-known and renowed artists and photographers, in ways that undermine conventional notions of originality, artistic mastery and authorship. On the other hand Fandiño has added to his productions the art world circle as a material and his limits and borders. His works carry out a debate about the current situation in arts and its relationship with the political and social surrounding context. Other proposals have been focus on text as a tool, this works usually are related with the scholar methods of learning and his regard with art and artists. The author’s persona is also very important in some of his works, his current roll in society and his function into the general environment of art and culture. His works has been acquired by collectors from over the world, museums and art institutions, being considered an important member of his generation.
LATER WORKS
In 2011 Suso Fandiño decided it was time for a change of scenery (and weather) and moved to London developing several projects in different fields. Mapping, Ephemeral Landscapes and Short-lived exhibitions will be part of a new step in his personal project and career. Actually Suso Fandiño has started to think up new paths to express himself in several environments and spaces. His works has been acquired by collectors from over the world, museums and art institutions, being considered an important member of his generation. For For further explanation check the CV 