Jorge Humberto Tapia Perez

Jorge Humberto Tapia Perez Biography

Germany, born 1983

I was born in 1983 in San Luis Potosi, Mexico and I am a neurosurgeon and artist living in Germany. My art is dedicated to life and death, love and sex in a world full of Mythos
For me, visual art is a means of exploring the world and humanity. My work explores classic nostalgic landscapes and cultural phenomena, primarily from my Mexican homeland. Above all, I want to encourage a reverence for nature and reflection on human finitude. I explore death, myths, and relationships.
My largest series of paintings is dedicated to Día de Muertos. For the indigenous peoples of Mexico, life and death belong together; they are part of a cycle. Death is understood as a journey (the journey to Mictlán) and not as an end. From legends such as the creation of the cempasuchil flower (flower of death), a profound philosophy of life develops that transcends death. Memories are brought to the forefront and seen as the main element of the connection with the dead, so that the deceased remain present in our lives through love. Natural phenomena are interpreted as signs of the afterlife, such as the visit of the monarch butterfly to Michoacán. In this way, the naturalness of death becomes omnipresent. In my paintings, I valorize death. The insights gained contribute to its acceptance. First, it is about understanding that the past is lost. Second, that the unknown is inevitable and, ultimately, what matters is not the number of years we live, but how we lived them. I recognize in death a power for a better life.
My second major series of paintings deals with the theme of love. I explore separation, jealousy, and relationships. For this, I incorporate elements from physics and literature. I connect love (Eros) and death (Thanatos) to inspire new ideas. Love outlasts death. Another source of inspiration for me was the writings of Byung-Chul Han, especially The Agony of Eros. This incorporates my personal experiences of emotional pain.
Motto: Rejecting death is an act of arrogance and selfishness.