Alfonso Lourido is a graphic designer by profession. He currently devotes himself to art and explores it in many of its forms. In every project he undertakes, he puts his heart and soul into it and fosters dialogue and connections between different artistic disciplines.
Although he says he wasn’t sure what to study in high school, he always knew it would be something related to the visual arts. He even describes himself as “a visual person,” and he’s known that since he was a child.
“I spent high school filling entire notebooks with drawings; I was obsessed with comics; I loved album covers; I was fascinated by the tools used to create those amazing designs from the 80s and 90s,” says Alfonso Lourido about the adolescence that led him to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design at ORT.
Narrative and timeless art
When it comes to his artistic work, Alfonso is very versatile: “I really enjoy exploring different mediums: visual art, illustration, photography, animation, and film.” While each has its own unique characteristics, he finds commonalities among them that he finds interesting.
Alfonso describes his art as narrative: “I think the narrative power of the image has something very special about it,” he says. To explain this, he compares images to stories. In stories, there is a clear voice, a narrator. However, in an image, the narrator is the viewer: “You can leave something more or less explicit for the viewer, but it is they who ultimately construct their own journey through the image, and that, to me, is incredible.”
Another characteristic the artist identifies in his work is timelessness: “Timelessness follows a similar path. I embrace the inherent ambiguity of the image. I think that’s what makes it interesting.” For him, this is particularly evident when the artwork deals with themes that transcend time, such as dreams, thoughts, or emotions.
Bologna Children's Book Fair 2020
Alfonso Lourido was selected to participate in the Illustrator Wall section of the 2020 Bologna Children's Book Fair, one of the world's most renowned events for children's and young adult literature. This year, the Illustrator Wall will take place virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“It just happened by chance,” Alfonso says, summarizing how this opportunity came about. Last year, he was part of the Uruguayan delegation of illustrators featured in Uruguay’s official catalog for Bologna 2019. However, he admits that this year his mind was on other things due to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
So how did he end up being selected? Thanks to social media. Alfonso saw a Facebook post in which he learned that this year’s Illustrator Wall exhibition would be held virtually. At that point, there were only one or two days left before the application deadline, so he submitted an image from his personal project “El buzo amarillo,” an illustrated book he created with his wife, Ana Semino, who is a writer and theater designer.
“The thing is, a few days ago I found out—also by chance, through an Instagram post—that I’d been selected,” says Alfonso. This section features 2,500 artists from five continents and 80 countries. The exhibition can be viewed online from anywhere.
Art in the Midst of the Pandemic
The arrival of COVID-19 in the country brought about changes for everyone. Alfonso is a co-owner of a film production company (Carajito Films), and in that industry, work has changed significantly. However, he understands that we must adapt and seek growth in the midst of the crisis: “There are countless aspects emerging from this situation, and that is an opportunity,” he says.
As for his plans, Alfonso has several, and he is very grateful for each one: “I have two personal picture book projects, and each is at a different stage. We’ll have to see about the dates because this year is very special.” In addition, he is illustrating products for international markets, and with Carajito Films, he has several projects he hopes to bring to fruition in this “turbulent” 2020, as he himself describes it.