Interview with Jovanny Varela-Ferreyra by Aidx Paredes

In the past month, Berlin-Artparasites, a Facebook page sharing artworks and quotes from different artists, has been hanging around the news feeds of more and more people.

In this interview, Jovanny Varela-Ferreyra, the curator behind Berlin-Artparasites, muses about the power of poetry and visuals.

1. Tell us, who is the person behind Berlin-Artparasites? What made you create Berlin-Artparasites? Is this an art movement/revolution?

Berlin-Artparasites is a project that emerged in late 2011 as an online magazine covering Berlin’s art scene. Founded by media consultant Marcus Johst, it originally sought to become a disruptive voice (nobody likes a parasite) by approaching and writing about art from fun, non-academic, and unlikely perspectives.

I jumped on board in late 2012 when I arrived here via Chicago. As a then-recent art school graduate, the project offered me this unique opportunity to fuse my passions for art and writing while simultaneously getting to know Berlin, its art and artists. From an awkward intern running around the city catching interviews, to Editor-in-Chief overseeing production, to curating the Facebook page that your are now more familiar with, the project—as much as myself—has been constantly evolving.

Oh man, revolution or movement? Maybe yes, maybe no; maybe rain, maybe snow.

Those are heavy words to live by. It’s only a movement in the way it has been rapidly and organically growing, attracting this wonderful, engaging community from various corners of the globe.


2. You share artworks around the world, accompanied by captions from young and old authors alike. What's the process behind this?

You are asking the drug dealer for the source, the magician for the trick behind the illusion, and the chef for the recipe — and I still want you to buy my drugs, believe in magic, and dine at my restaurant.


3. You've already shared hundreds, if not thousands, of artworks. Tell us what's your favorite.

I like to think that what I’m sharing with my audience is not necessarily the artwork that they see or the words that they read, but something greater than the fusion of those parts; collages of images and texts that, in best-case scenarios, go beyond being mere Facebook posts.

For example, one of my all-time favorites is this bedtime story.

Prior to this one, I had wanted to design a post that would hopefully cause some real change as it traveled through people’s news feeds. Now, this is a heavy one as it deals with heartbreaking depictions of depression.



Before posting it, I knew some people would not like it (and indeed there were angry complaints). But more importantly, I knew that there would be many people who would relate to it, especially those currently dealing with their own depression — and these were the people I secretly hoped would share the post.

Often, we only get to see the surface of the faces that surround us, without spotting any traces of the struggle they might be internally going through. I wanted this post to be taken as a warning signal to the classmates of the quiet girl in class who shared it, to the sister of the withdrawn brother who re-posted it, to the husband of the distant wife who liked it, etc.

The next day after the post had gone viral, something wonderful happened; an older family member of a woman (let’s call her Lucy) who shared the post, wrote a message—by mistake—to the Artparasites inbox. Thinking that she was writing to Lucy, she mentioned her concern about what Lucy had recently shared on Facebook and she simply wanted to make sure that Lucy was okay.

It made my day.

It was a confirmation that the warning signals had been noticed and necessary conversations were taking place with people who needed external comfort.

I, of course, let her know that she had sent the message to the wrong account.


4. Do you personally know the artists you share? Are you friends with most of them?

Not for the most part. But I have received artwork and poetry submissions from which some friendships have emerged. Other times the artists featured reach out to me in gratitude and a relationship then develops.


5. You seem passionate about art. What pushed you to share these artworks to the world?

Empathy. I'm convinced that with an increase in empathy there's an increase in understanding and a decrease in conflict — a condition that allows for love to be transferred more fluidly between individuals and societies.

As an artist, I've discovered that art (whether in painting, dance, poetry, music etc.) carries empathetic power; it increases our ability to relate to one another and, perhaps more importantly, to ourselves. But art is often difficult to "get," so I rub together art forms like poetry (words of wisdom) and visuals with the hope to start a little fire in someone else's chest.

We're constantly bombarded with the struggles that come with life and sometimes those are the only things that people grow surrounded by. Fortunately, there are individuals that have already burned creative and intellectual energy to show us another point of view — and sometimes a different point of view can make all the difference.


6. What do you think of the artists of today, compared to the artists in the past?

Content is the same, but the context has drastically changed. From cave walls, to gallery walls, to Internet walls, we’re still figuring out who we’ve been, who we are and who we can be, but the current terms of engagement are completely different. Today’s social media tools, for example, have made it easier than ever for artists to market themselves, gain exposure, and build an audience — but simultaneously, it has made it harder than ever to stand out in an ever-flowing current of self-published content by anyone with an Internet connection. How do you stand out as an artist in a time when everyone is one?


7. Is there anything you’d like to say to everyone who subscribes to Berlin-Artparasites?

A most sincere thank you.

The page wouldn’t be as great (and my job not as fun) if it wasn’t for your engagement — the comments and conversations that happen under the posts are sometimes my favorite part of going into the page. And don’t be shy, I’m quite approachable; if you have an artwork or thought you’d like to share with me just shoot me an email [jovannyvarela@gmail.com] or tweet me out @jovaferreyra — and even if you have nothing to share, you can always say ‘sup with a shruggie ¯\_(ツ)_/¯