It is not the talent, but the spirit that keeps an artist alive and fresh. The capacity for creation arises from curiosity. Christopher Makos (Massachussets, 1948) is a living example of this – in fact, it’s the way he behaves all the time.
Makos is beyond any regular biography. His story begins in Paris, where he went to study architecture and ended up becoming an apprentice to Man Ray, one of the most important figures of North American surrealism. He then became the personal photographer of Andy Warhol, introducing him to Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring in New York.
Makos and the America’s Cup
17:00. Two men appear in the Press Centre of the 32nd America’s Cup. One is approximately 50 years old, blond and messy hair, and has a camera on his shoulder – this is Christopher Makos. By his side, a younger man; dressed the same way and with a hat on his head – this is Paul Solberg. Both look around, fascinated by the colours of the press centre.
"Hello, I am Christopher and this is my friend Paul, we are The Hilton Brothers.”
This is the way Makos begins his visit to the Port America's Cup; this is how one of the most important artists of the 20th century introduces himself.
Comments about Mariscal and the Veles e Vents
As we travel around the Port America’s Cup by boat, at all times his eyes dart about, looking for an image to capture. Makos doesn’t stop shooting while he tells how he took a picture to Pedro Almodóvar, about how much he likes Spain and it’s art, the architecture…And suddenly he is surprised by something. On the other side of the Port America’s Cup he sees the Veles e Vents building: “This building is stunning, who has designed it?” he asks. “It’s over the top, it’s fantastic…everything is over the top here, even the industrial side is in different colours. It’s a little bit artistic.”
“Architecture is one of my passions and is something that Spain and Valencia appreciates. The Spanish respect architecture and this building is stunning. As a photographer, everything that interests me is shape, form and balance. And this building is shape, form and balance. It is perfect for the harbour…I am even charmed by this tape recorder. It looks like a cigarette lighter…” and then the artist changes topic again and begins to speak of something different entirely.
“Paul and I, The Hilton Brothers, are here to take photos for our latest work. It’s called 'Speed' and I do not want it to be in museums. That’s the normal way. I want it to be on the street, everywhere. It’s a very ‘Warholian’ idea; art is for everybody.”
He speaks and shoots full speed. Every small detail, every point of light… “Oh neon!” he shouts looking at the interactive zone for the public at the Alinghi base. He takes one…two… three photographs, all the while commenting that he uses his shoulder as a tripod – “This is how Man Ray told me to do it.” He says that he doesn’t like tripods; that the camera is the only tool he needs.
Makos is fascinated by the material used to make the sails on an America's Cup Class boat. He keeps bombarding us with questions. Makos wants information, wants to know everything. And suddenly he sees SUI 64. “This it is the boat that won the last America's Cup. This is the reason we’re all here,” somebody tells him. Click, click, click. Photo, photo, photo. He doesn’t stop shooting.
About how Andy Warhol would love the Port America’s Cup
“Andy would love the Port America’s Cup because it’s so modern and Andy loved anything modern. This is completely different. The multiplicity, lots of boats, lots of umbrellas, he did multiple Campbell Soup cans, multiple Marilyn Monroes…of course he would love it!”
In contrast to Makos, Paul Solberg observes quietly. He listens and shoots hundreds of times. He also knows Valencia and is astonished with the Port America's Cup. He wants to return, wants to see it in all its brilliance. “I will come back next month,” he says…perhaps for the Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 12.
“In many of the cities where I’ve been over the past month, they live in the past, with nostalgia for the past. What’s special about Valencia right now with the America’s Cup is that it’s about the future – it’s all about the future, there’s no nostalgia. It’s energy - it’s like a teenage youth…that’s the feeling now in Valencia,” Solberg says.
Makos has been in the Port America's Cup for hours and insists that he wants to return. The sunset signals the end of the day…An artist has painted the Port America's Cup today, and one day, we will see the result of his work.
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