Photograph by Anjali Pinto
Veronica Corzo-Duchardt is a Cuban-American artist, designer, and printmaker based in Philadelphia. Fascinated by traces of history embedded in the objects we use, collect and leave behind, her practice is rooted in memory, heritage, and material culture. She creates screenprints that are both textured and minimal, and has collaborated with companies such as CB2 and Addidas. You can see more of her work on Instagram and her website.
When kids say that they want to be artists, most grownups assume that they want to become painters or illustrators (or, occasionally, sculptors) – but never printmakers. How did you find your way into this medium? What other media do you work in?
I found my way to printmaking while in grad school. It seemed like a very tactile way to get my ideas across in a language I already understood from working as a graphic designer. I loved both the sense of play and precision in printmaking. That and I loved getting off the computer and getting my hands dirty.
How would you describe your work?
My work is abstract, textural and minimal. It engages with cultural identity, memory, and history contained within the everyday objects and materials that surround us.
What’s the first thing you ever remember making?
I screenprinted the back of two photographs of my great grandparents. I loved seeing the marks of time and their handwriting translated to ink on paper.
You are both a fine artist and a designer. How do both practices influence each other?
My fine art practice and is always informing my design practice and vs. versa. My design work is very expressive and I think my printmaking has a graphic sensibility.
What are you currently working on, and why?
I’m working on a new body of work right. Which I’m super excited about. These pieces are original works on paper created with coffee grounds, spray paint and screenprint. I’ve been using sugar and coffee as materials in my work for a few years as a way to engage with my Cuban identity and my relationship with Cuba. This new work brings together a lot of the ideas I’ve been investigating for a while.
Do you have a dream project (or two)?
I’d love to work with a hotel to create the artwork for their interiors. I’m really excited by the idea of creating a sense of place that’s both familiar yet a bit strange. I think a hotel is a perfect playground for that. Everything from in-room original works, wallpaper, and textiles.
What’s next?
I’m planning on pushing this body of work further not just through prints, but I’m interested in incorporating sounds as part of the sensory experience as well. I’m taking a Sounds Ethnographies workshop at Union Docs in Brooklyn at the end of the month and I’m really excited to see where that takes the work.
So my next goal is to exhibit this work in a way that incorporates prints, objects, photography, and sound.
What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out?
Keep practicing, the more you print the better you will get. It sounds like simple advice but I do think that you can only get good at something by continuing to push through it.
What do you want readers to know about you or your work?
It really does look better in person. I know every artist says that but I’m a sucker for the subtlety in colors and how I overlay textures, unfortunately, that doesn’t always translate on screen in the best way.
How can people find you? (website, shop, Instagram, Facebook page, Twitter, etc.)
Instagram: @winterbureau (Where you will find my most updated work!)
Twitter @winterbureau
Websites: winterbureau.com and veronicacorzoduchardt.com