Swimming and the Artistic Pause

In this episode of Crazy Wisdom, I, Stewart Alsop, sit down with Argentine artist Mathilda Martin to explore the intimate connection between creativity, flow, and authenticity—from how swimming mirrors painting, to why art can heal, and what makes human-made art irreplaceable in the age of AI. We also touch on Argentina’s vibrant art scene, the shift in the art world after COVID, and the fine line between commercial and soulful creation. You can find Mathilda’s work on Instagram at @arte_mathilda.

Check out this GPT we trained on the conversation

Timestamps

00:00 – Mathilda Martin joins Stewart Alsop to talk about art, creativity, and her upcoming exhibitions in Miami and Uruguay.
05:00 – She shares how swimming connects to painting, describing water as calm, presence, and a source of flow and meditation.
10:00 – They discuss art as therapy, childhood creativity, and overcoming fear by simply starting to create.
15:00 – Mathilda reflects on her love for Van Gogh and feeling as the essence of authentic art, contrasting it with the coldness of AI.
20:00 – The conversation turns to the value of human-made art and whether galleries can tell the difference between AI and real artists.
25:00 – They explore Argentine authenticity, “chantas,” and what makes Argentina both chaotic and deeply real.
30:00 – Mathilda talks about solidarity, community, and daily life in Buenos Aires amid political and economic instability.
35:00 – She highlights Argentine muralists and how collaboration and scale transform artistic expression.
40:00 – The pair discuss the commercialization of art, the “factory artist,” and staying true to feeling over fame.
45:00 – Mathilda explains how COVID reshaped the art world, empowering independent artists to exhibit without galleries.
50:00 – They end with art markets in Argentina vs. the U.S., her gallery in New York, and upcoming shows at Spectrum Miami and Punta del Este.

Key Insights

1. Art and Water Share the Same Flow: Mathilda Martin reveals how swimming and painting both bring her into a meditative state she calls “the pause.” In the water, she feels the same stillness she experiences while painting — a total immersion in the present moment where the outside world disappears.
2. Art Is a Form of Healing: Mathilda emphasizes that art is not just expression but medicine. She references the World Health Organization’s recognition that creativity benefits mental and physical health, describing painting as a space of emotional regulation and clarity.
3. Human-Made Art Has Soul, AI Doesn’t: One of the episode’s most thought-provoking moments comes when Mathilda contrasts the warmth of human-made art with the cold precision of AI. She believes that while AI can replicate technique, it can’t replicate feeling — and that collectors will always value art infused with human emotion.
4. Authenticity Defines Argentine Culture: Mathilda paints a vivid picture of Argentina as a land of contradictions — full of chaos, charm, and honesty. Argentines, she says, are “authentic, sometimes too direct,” a quality that shapes both their relationships and their art.
5. COVID-19 Changed the Art World Forever: The pandemic disrupted the old gallery system and gave artists freedom to organize their own exhibitions. For Mathilda, this shift created independence, even if it also demanded new entrepreneurial skills.
6. Commercial Success vs. Soulful Creation: Mathilda critiques “factory artists” who mass-produce work for fame or profit, contrasting them with artists who create from genuine emotion. The real challenge, she says, is maintaining authenticity in a system that rewards volume over vulnerability.
7. Art as Connection and Presence: Beyond skill or aesthetics, Mathilda believes true art is about human connection — between artist, viewer, and the moment of creation itself. Whether painting, swimming, or teaching workshops, she views art as an ongoing conversation with life’s deeper flow.