Cuban-American visual and sound artist Richard Vergez creates hand-made collage works on paper and mixed media experiments, combining human and technological elements related to ideas surrounding an ever-evolving modern dystopian identity.

We sat down with Vergez to discuss his work and the process of collaborating with the team at Mad Arts.

Q: You have a long history of working with Mad, then Bad Space, and now Mad Arts. Can you tell us how these collaborations have evolved over time? 

A: When I moved back from NY in 2015 and was looking for work, I answered a cutout newspaper clipping for an art director position which landed me at Mad. With Bad Space, Marc provided me with my first studio space where I met a favorite artist of mine and great friend, Jen Clay. It was a big step for me towards becoming more of a professional artist and expanding my creative practice. Through Mad Arts in 2021, I was able to execute and exhibit one of my first immersive, multi-projector video pieces titled Assemblage. 

Q: How do you see your work being impacted/inspired by other work happening in parallel at Mad Arts? Have you met other artists or forged any collaborations? Are you planning any future proposals for Mad Arts?

A: During IGNITE 2024, I was able to connect with Jaime Reyes and Erik Natanael of re|thread who had a generative art installation just adjacent to mine. We exchanged ideas often during the duration of their stay. No concrete collaborations as of yet, but I am open to future incorporation of generative and AI processes into my work.

Q: Your work incorporates analog devices such as surveillance cameras, mirrors, and contact microphones, among others. To create an immersive installation, what is your experience in working with low and high technology? 

A: Low technology is what I know and what speaks to me. I enjoy the tangibility of it, the nostalgic connection it has with an audience, and the room for experimentation. I have never fetishized the possession of state of the art gear. I am more interested in catching an idea from a simplistic approach, and pushing the limits of what can be done with analog devices. 

The Light Pours Out of Me – IGNITE Broward + Mad Arts

Richard Vergez’s audio-visual installation, The Light Pours Out of Me, debuted at IGNITE Broward in 2024. As part of the festival’s feature events, Vergez participated in an intermedia performance with dancer Ana Mendez & artist Marcela Loayza, creating an immersive hallucinatory experience of reflection and refraction. Once IGNITE wrapped, the installation found a seasonal home at Mad Arts. 

Using surveillance cameras, projection, mirrors, oscillators, and contact microphones, Vergez manipulated live sound and light to create an immersive, hallucinatory reflection and refraction experience. The mechanics of the set pieces combined with human interactions constructed the improvised permutation of the work. Documentation of a durational performance in collaboration with Mendez and Loayza filtered into the installation. The audience was invited to bring a light source to interact with the visuals of the piece. 

Live Performances & Artist Talks

During his time creating and collaborating with Mad Arts, Richard Vergez has shared his work with the public in a series of live events, performances, and artist talks. He hosted the first-ever performance in our second-floor Cinema — Double Vision, an audio-visual exploration and performative presentation of the moving image confined to VHS. His work invites viewers to find new and special ways to experience old things. In his interactive talk, Experimentation and Discovery, he walked the audience through his art, offering exclusive insights into his creative process. To put his installation The Light Pours Out of Me to rest, Vergez created an audio-visual performance, A DROWNING — once again in collaboration with artist Marcela Loayza and dancer Ana Mendez. Vergez then attempted to break down the nucleus of the audio setup, turning performative and slightly chaotic before giving way to a meditative atmosphere.

Working with Richard has been an insightful experience. When it comes to understanding that immersive and digital art do not always have to be accompanied by the newest or most expensive/out-of-reach technology, his work contemplates low and high artmaking that creates full-body experiences and also establishes an interaction between analog technology and visual arts.