Avant Gardener Profile: Pablo Mesa Capella

Meet Pablo Mesa Capella, an artist whose journey spans across continents and disciplines. Born in Spain in 1982, Pablo now calls Malaga home after many enriching years living and working in Rome.

His artistic path began in theatre scenography, where he cultivated a deep understanding of space and contrast. Pablo's work masterfully balances ideas, materials, and symbols, creating a unique dialogue within his art.

To start off with, I just wondered if you could tell me a little bit about yourself, what you do, and where you call home?

I have always had a very direct relationship with nature, with the sea and the mountains. I currently live in Malaga, a city that is nestled between the mountains and the sea in a large corridor, so all the natural elements such as plants, eggs, shells, and many other elements are used in my medium.

Nature and plants are very recurrent in my work. In my small studio, I surround myself with various plants and natural elements, which inspire my art and creative process.

How would you describe your relationship with the plant world?

I’ve always been very attached to the natural elements, so I like to surround myself with beauty. In this case, in this small studio full of plants, succulents, indoor and outdoor plants, I like to feel surrounded by greenery. Let’s say that it inspires me.

My connection with plants is deeply personal and intrinsic to my daily life and artistic expression.

In what ways do plants play a role in your daily life?

Plants are a significant part of my life, and they influence my daily routines and creative processes by providing a calming and inspiring environment.

My goal with art, in general, is to reach the viewer, the public, in a very particular way, to make them participate in my life and in my creative experience. For me, art is to tell about oneself and to share one’s own life experiences.

Do you have any wider beliefs or values that can be attributed, if only partially, to your relationship with plants?

One of the main elements of my art is also to surprise the audience, to create a communion, a direct channel between the observer and the work.

My relationship with plants reinforces my belief in the importance of nurturing and caring for living beings, which I strive to convey through my art.

Do you have a routine to take care of your plants?

For me, with plants the care is obviously intrinsic. I mean taking care of a living being. In the sense that the secret, as they say, “green thumb”, is much simpler than that. You must like taking care of the plant, to spend time with them.

I like to see their development. Watering the plants, it is not a waste of time. Thinking about it, it does not take much time; there are many other things that take more time from us than giving water to plants.

My routine includes regularly checking the plants, watering them, and ensuring they receive enough sunlight.

We deeply appreciate Pablo for opening up about his world and giving us an intriguing look at his one-of-a-kind artistic process.