artist Andrea Valverde: eroticism, Mexico, + pequeña muerte
“and there the beauty of eroticism emerges, like a field lit only by moonlight,” says 29-year-old erotic artist, Andrea Valverde.
Escandón, Ciudad de México, México
we interviewed and photographed Andrea for this lovely Valentine’s Day <3 read below in her own words about her work + vday plans + dream joink rotation, and more…like what men think makes someone “girlfriend material.” *eye roll*
enjoy luvrs ;)
Andrea, Azotea, Escandón, Ciudad de México, México
Q+A w/ Mexico-based erotic artist Andrea Valverde
✮ dream joink rotation:
Valverde: 73-year-old Argentine pop-rock singer-songwriter Charly García, French-American erotic essayist Anais Nin (passed in 1977 at 73), Cuban-American singer Celia Cruz (passed in 2003 at 77), British-Mexican painter Leonora Carrington (passed in 2011 at 94).
Andrea, Azotea, Escandón, Ciudad de México, México
✮ what is pequeña muerte?
Valverde: Pequeña Muerte (by Chema Contreras and i) is a project based in Mexico City. it is intended as a transdisciplinary platform for curating, promoting, and producing erotic content.
we seek to create an international community of artists and creators who explore erotic fantasies across multiple disciplines and artistic mediums—gathering their work in a digital platform, and in transmedia projects: editorial, audiovisual, and experiential.
Pequeña Muerte has become a safe, intangible space that allows us to explore desires, tensions, pleasures, and sensibilities.
we believe that just as eroticism is explored through attraction and sexual desire, it is also generated through trust and intimacy. the boundaries are erased, the line between reality and fiction of fantasy, of intimacy and desire becomes extremely vague. it opens doors that we do not normally see with the naked eye.
“and there the beauty of eroticism emerges, like a field lit only by moonlight. something subtle, diffuse, intimate, profound. a transparent latex membrane that covers the landscape and urges you to perceive the details, the textures, the sensations.”
we are interested in delving outside the moral, social, corporal and relational rules. to unravel the sensations until reaching the subtlest and most profound. to connect with ourselves and with others through the infinite possibilities of fantasy and art.
Andrea, Azotea, Escandón, Ciudad de México, México
✮ how is your art influenced by your own sexuality?
Valverde: i would say that it is my sexuality that leads me to art; it is erotic desire that drives the aesthetic experience. i believe that the sensitivity of art—its textures, narratives, play of light, depths, angles—has allowed me to break down experiences into moments that, when stretched, perceived, and contemplated, create much more sensual atmospheres.
if we understand art as the place where interiority, subjectivity, intimacy, and individuality are materialized and expressed, preserving a sensitive and mystical character, then we could say that eroticism is art in itself.
the concept of the aesthetic is rooted in the realm of desire and pleasure. thus, erotic art is a complete surrender to the sensory experience, the possibility of understanding this aesthetic-erotic drive represented in its purest form.
as a counterpart to all this, and maintaining this sense of intimacy and transparency, the moments when art influences my sexuality (rather than my sexuality influencing my art) often lead me to spaces, tensions, and desires that are profoundly intellectual, where i struggle to embody pleasure.
Andrea, Azotea, Escandón, Ciudad de México, México
✮ how are you spending Valentine's day this year?
Valverde: girl boss baby, this year my Valentine’s Day aligns with an important day at work. funny, since i’m someone who easily falls in love and constantly has partners/lovers, but this year, as i turn 30, i’ll be spending Valentine’s Day fulfilling my professional dreams on a deeper level—another kind of fantasy and pleasure.
✮ what's your ideal solo date?
Valverde: my ideal date would be waking up late, smoking a hash joint, enjoying a coffee slowly, taking a shower, and going out for breakfast. checking into a downtown hotel and wandering aimlessly, with no schedule, getting lost to immerse myself in other realities—so, walking through the city. sitting in a park, smoking another joint. *editor’s note: duhhhh* having lunch somewhere outdoors where the sun hits me. eating mindfully, savoring the flavors, textures, and temperature, because my phone’s dead and i’m alone, so all that’s left is to contemplate.
going back to the hotel, taking a hot shower with products that smell good. getting out, putting on lotion, slipping into a fluffy white hotel robe, and lying in bed for a while before getting ready to go out for dinner. ordering an affogato for dessert, buying a [gram of k], and going out dancing, losing myself in the lights, music, and people. timelessly.
Andrea, Azotea, Escandón, Ciudad de México, México
✮ how do you navigate romantic/sexual relationships as an erotic artist? does your art get in the way?
Valverde: yes, definitely. i think that in Mexico, at least in my social context, a woman who is living, exploring, and openly expressing a constant and free exploration of the body and sexuality is something that scares men a lot (I’m generally heterosexual, though i like to explore everything), and in a way, it still places you in a position of “less respect.” Les gusta pero les asusta... you know?
no, but seriously, somehow the idea that you’re not “girlfriend material” still lingers. obviously, i don’t experience this distance within the queer circles I usually move in, but I think that when it comes to romantic relationships, it has been more complex.
eroticism is not just an exploration in art, but also in my life, my daily routine, my language—and i think that’s what scares people more, beyond erotic art itself. erotic art isn’t as problematic as an erotic woman.
Cuarto de Andrea, Escandón, Ciudad de México, México
✮ what are the challenges you face as an erotic artist in Mexico?
Valverde: it's several things. i believe Mexican society is still extremely conservative (despite also being highly global and liberal). within cultural spaces, the media, and social networks, there is still significant censorship and a lack of serious treatment of erotic art.
on the other hand, the communities that offer spaces for freer erotic exploration are almost exclusively made up of cis gay men, meaning there is a significant lack of diversity both in representation and in available spaces.
addtionally, i feel that sensuality and eroticism have been increasingly lost—everything is too fast, too immediate, and too superficial. Mexico is a society that is not very in touch with the body. we still tend to treat sexuality as a taboo, as if it weren’t something every single human being experiences.
also, exploring erotic art can sometimes put my professional profile in other areas into question. for me, the biggest challenge is to dignify and showcase erotic projects that emerge around me in a serious, coherent, and high-quality manner.
Cuarto de Andrea, Escandón, Ciudad de México, México
✮ best erotic literature:
Valverde: Venus in Furs by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, Delta of Venus by Anaïs Nin, and The Story of the Eye by Georges Bataille.
✮ fav line (EVER) from erotic poem
Valverde: “The sacredness of pleasure.” from Cris Krauss, I Love Dick
Cuarto de Andrea, Escandón, Ciudad de México, México
✮ what is your best advice for an artist / creative who wants to focus on more erotic work?
my advice would be to always understand that everything starts in the intimate—within ourselves, in our relationships, and with our bodies. i think it’s important to understand where eroticism is framed, to recognize care, respect, and sensations. *editor’s note: Audre Lorde covers this concept in her essay “Uses of The Erotic”*
for me, the deepest way to connect with eroticism is to break down sensations, to understand the peak of tension in subtlety, in instants, and from there, explore the possibility of stretching those moments and sensations through art.
Cuarto de Andrea, Escandón, Ciudad de México, México
“bajo el mismo techo”: photo essay of Andrea on 35mm film by Matías Alvial
