Photographer:

Noel Suarez was born in Havana, Cuba, and creates his art in Miami. He is participating this weekend in ARTundressed 2017, South Florida's Creative Nude Art Festival.

Suarez was selected to create this year's official painting for ARTundressed. ARTundressed celebrates the artistic, humorous, and sensual aspects of creative nude art; both in visual and performance arts. The event has toured cities including Miami, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Berlin, as well as Montreal and Toronto. The collection of exhibited artworks showcases some of today most talented, creative, renowned artists and photographers.

miamiartzine.com talked to Miami-based Suarez about his work and his participating in this year's festival.

miamiartzine.com: How did you get started?

Noel Suarez: I came from a family of artists and grew up in the theater. Although drawing was part of my life from a very early age, ballet was my No. 1 passion and what took my total attention at the age of six. It wasn’t until after I retired from ballet right before I turned 30 that painting became my new full time passion.

Photographer:

maz: Who or what are your influences?

NS: My family was my first and biggest influence, they nurtured my interest and love for art in general. My other artistic influences are the Classical Masters, Art Deco, Cubism, my theatrical background, and especially my obsession with movement and the human body.

maz: What inspired you about ArtUNDRESSED 2017?

NS: That is dedicated to the beauty of the human body, to sensuality and the total freedom of its creative expression. Fritz Romeus (the event’s creator and director) and I have known each other for several years from the days when South Beach was a small creative heaven for amazing talented people. Fritz always liked my work because and asked me to be part of ARTundressed several times, but my work schedule allowed me to participate only twice. I’m very pleased that I can be part of this amazing event for the third time and that this time I can be the event’s presenting artist!

maz: How does Miami/South Florida influence what you do?

NS: Living in Miami is very unique and allows my creativity to be on at all times. Not to mention the colors, architecture (especially Art Deco and Modernism), the amazing development of the arts in the past 18 years, and let’s not forget its fabulous residents. I travel the world a lot with my Oceania’s Artist in Residences and although I love to travel, it is amazing to return and call this city home.

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maz: Tell us about the upcoming show.

NS: Which one? LOL! Besides ARTundressed 2017 whose opening vernissage is on Thursday, May 18, I’m working on several very exciting new projects and collections for my upcoming exhibits in Miami, Barcelona, San Juan-Puerto Rico as well as on my Artist in Residences with Oceania, which are several for this year.

Actually my 2018 exhibit’s schedule is already planned, and 2019 is already in the works. Crazy! One of these projects is a Collection of beautiful tops and scarves that I’m producing with Eliott Prada from "La Isla” in Little Havana. Eliott is another great artist and we are recreating several of my paintings in to a collection that brings fashion art to a whole new level. Miami there is a new label coming up soon, look for it..."Noel by La Isla". I can't wait to unveil this collection!

maz: Please talk about your art specifically.

NS: My work is constantly evolving. In the last year and a half Modernism and Figurative Cubism are inspiring my creativity and I’m very pleased with the result. Although I’ve created a style that regardless its evolution people always recognize, this time I’ve gone to a total new dimension of my creativity. With that said, the people that been following my career and know my work, will be able to recognize that it is me. So far, the response from this year’s Art Basel and my first three exhibits through the Caribbean and the Mediterranean on Oceania’s Riviera, have been amazing!

maz: What has been the most "aha" moment in your path as an artist. 

NS: I’ve had several “aha” moments in my artistic paths. I strongly believe that we create them as the result of the attention, dedication and love that we invest in our work. Here are two that come to mind now, when I was able to leave Cuba in December of 1980, and when I was selected to be part of the 2009 Louvre International Vernissage, but there are more coming . . .

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maz: What is you highest achievement?

NS: The fact that after almost 30 years I’m still working as an artist and loving it!

maz: How can people see your work other than Art Undressed?

NS: People can follow all regarding my work and exhibits on my Social Media link… http://about.me/Noel1. But ARTundressed 2017 is my first official exhibit where people will have the opportunity to see pieces of my latest collection and the beautiful piece that I’ve created for the event, “The Birth II.” Also, there will be other amazing works of art in this exhibit of hundreds of very talented artists from all over the world.

maz: Why do you think people should go see Art Undressed?

NS: Because it is the only Art Vernissage happening in Miami that pays homage to the beauty of the Human Body and its sensuality, besides it is a truly fun and unique event unlike any other in Miami!

maz: Some people might be afraid of a nude art. Can you give them some pointers about viewing nude art?

NS: The Human Body is one of the world's best and most beautiful creations, and that there is absolutely nothing wrong with appreciating it, celebrating it, admiring it, listening to it and more importantly...getting to know it to absolute totality!

See you at ARTundressed 2017 on Thursday, May 18, Friday, May 19, and Saturday, May 20 at ArtHood 56, 5600 NW 7th Ave, Wynwood. 

Find out more on the website, ARTundressed 2017.