Meet Fernando Carpaneda | Visual artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Fernando Carpaneda and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Fernando, why did you pursue a creative career?
I pursued an artistic career because I’ve always been drawn to expressing myself creatively. Art allows me to explore my thoughts, emotions, and perspectives in a way that feels natural and fulfilling to me. Creating something new, whether it’s a painting, a piece of music, or a story, brings me a sense of joy and purpose that I couldn’t find in any other field. Art has the power to inspire, provoke thought, and evoke deep emotions, and being able to contribute to that as an artist is incredibly meaningful to me.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I come from an Italian family but I was born in Brazil. I had my first exhibition of paintings at the age of 13, in the early ‘80s in Brasilia: the capital of Brazil. I came to New York City by chance. In the late ‘90s, I met “Dumpster”, an American Crust Punk who was on vacation in Brazil. We became friends and I ended up moving to New York and living in the C-Squat on Avenue – C.

C-Squat and CBGB were two very important influences on the creative process of my works. My work has always illustrated the Underground scene, the Punk scene, and the LGBTQIA+ scene. In early 1995, I got in touch with CBGB, and ended up scheduling some exhibitions at CB’s 313 Gallery. A few years later the gallery invited me to participate in an exhibition called “Back to the Bowery”. That brought together some of the remaining artists from Andy Warhol’s famous The Factory, as well as new artists who portrayed the city’s underground scene.

It was a historic exhibition, and where I met Billy Name (He created the design for The Factory, Andy Warhol Superstars, and was Warhol’s photographer) as well as several other artists from the ‘70s. I ended up becoming friends with Billy Name and we stayed in touch until his death in 2016. The CBGB exhibitions definitely opened several doors for me on the city’s art circuit, and it was a turning point in my international career. It was also at CBGB that I met Arturo Vega, we became friends and we stayed in touch until his death in 2013. Arturo invited me to participate in an exhibition called The Bowery Electric Festival (A Tribute to Joey Ramone) with Dee Dee Ramone paintings. I will be forever grateful to have participated in those celebrated exhibitions.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Billy Name and Arturo Vega

Website: www.carpaneda.com

Image Credits
Personal photo: Kristina Robles