Mario Holder is a Barbadian artist inspired by the natural world and the relationship between humans and nature. Mario depicts a vivid and vibrant world full of awe and wonder.
Mario, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what inspired you to start painting?
My name is Mario Holder, an artist from the Caribbean Island of Barbados. I remember always having an inclination towards creativity from a young age, but it only became apparent after a life-changing incident that occurred in my late teens that changed the trajectory of my life and career choices. Art, which first started off as just pencil drawings, began for me as a form of occupational therapy, and through that process, an avalanche of creations just started to unfold — and what was once just a prescription for my physical injuries healed me at a much deeper level.
Your paints often depict people in natural environments; what are the themes and significance of these paintings?
A recurring theme that often presents itself in my work is “humans amount to natural environments”; I believe that this is a reflection of my own desires to be more in a harmonious relationship with the natural laws of the earth, and that idea often manifests with human beings in gardens, intertwining with tropical botanicals, bodies of water. These are sometimes desperate attempts to create a sense of connection.
Union (left), Somatic Practice (right)
How does Barbadian nature, culture, and folktales inspire your artistic process?
As much as we have influence over our environment, our environment also deeply impacts our perceptions — from stories and myths that shape our beliefs and culture to religious and spiritual practices that still linger in our day-to-day lives. While some parts of my work are imaginary, the Barbadian life still finds its way through, in the form of colors, shapes, people, and the hopes and dreams we all share.
How do you think art can help people connect closer with nature?
When we talk about nature, humans often separate ourselves from it as if we are not a part of it, and to some degree, we may have become something different. Art, at least for me, takes me out of that intellectual heady state of being that may have been our downfall and into a more intuitive, more sensual process, wherein I believe lies our most natural state of mind.. I feel by recognizing our interconnectedness and our interdependence via observing our similarities with the natural world, each of us can start bridging the divide between the two.
What do you think is the role of art in conservation?
Art as a whole can be used in many ways, both negative and positive. In my work I attempt to plant seeds of thoughts and feelings of our inherent goodness. Currently, we are living in a time where we are taking from this earth (which is just an extension of ourselves) more than we are giving back. The idea of reciprocity has been on my mind as of late — a system where we give back more to our planet than we take. Not like what we’ve been doing over the last 100 years . I think true and honest expression, which is an artistic process, helps bring awareness to what we change to positively to impact our environments.
Lastly, which artists inspire you?
This is a really good but very difficult question to answer, because I feel like I’m inspired by all the artists that I see — especially in the social media age that we are living in — my mind is often blown; but at this point in my life, my favorite artist is Trinidadian Artist, Che Lovelace.
Follow Mario Holder’s artistic journey @mario.holder_art
Writer and steward for the Earth.