Pablo 43/52

 

Pablo Victor Bordón Pardo is a Cuban photographer, working analogue and digital. He is currently graduating from the Instituto Superior de Arte. We met each other in the grey German autumn last year, when he came to Germany as an exchange student at the Alanus University for Art and Social Science Germany. We do the interview in his parents' apartment in sunny Havana, while watching the waves hitting the Malecon.

 

HAPPINESS

 

Good company makes me happy. Having my friends around me. Feeling free to do whatever I want, in the time that I want, in the way that I want to, without having to think too much about the consequences. In general, freedom. I am happy when I am relaxed with myself, when I feel calm in my own company and in my environment. You have to find the balance within yourself to be free. Find the way to – it may sound weird, but you have to find a state to follow to find happiness. Sometimes you have to know yourself well enough to know what steps you have to take, to find happiness at their top.

 

There is an artificial short-time happiness, like through medicine pills, or a greater sense of happiness that lasts throughout the whole life, which are very different. I think, you have to chose on what you want to focus.

 

HOME

 

I would say home is about the people that make you feel at home. It's that. It's not about a specific space, house or place. When I was in Germany and in the US, I experienced that some people make you feel home, even if you are quite far away from the place you thought was home. But even if you don't have the people like friends, partner, family around, you can find or create your own, personal space. The space for freedom, where you can do whatever you want. I would call that home, too.

 

LIFE

 

The first thing is balance. I think it is very essential to find balance between all the elements that your life is consisting of. Family is the second thing that is so important in my life. Not only the family of your relatives, but friends. Loyalty would be a third expression. Being loyal to your friends and family, but also to yourself. You cannot be against yourself – you have to learn, how to be true to yourself.

 

Balance, family and loyalty are like the three pillars in my life, that you should always maintain.

 

Frency's question: Which is the main issue, that moves you at the moment?

 

I have two answers for that question. The first one is concerning my artistic work. In the art world, you have to learn how to be the biggest scammer. How to convince others to “buy” your solution for a personal problem in form of your art work, and I am constantly busy with that.

And secondly, in life... Maybe, it is following happiness. But it comes down to following the path of being okay with myself. Some people would maybe say, that their core issue is to follow their dreams, but for me, it feels quite more complicated than that. I can follow my dreams, but still, there is always an underlying issue, merged with the things you have to do in your daily life; finish your studies, earn money, find the right person... And within all that, the “spine” of it is to get along well with yourself. Again, it is about finding balance.

 

Pablo's question: Imagine, you come to heaven. What will God say to you?