A lot has happened since Patricia Yurena (35) became Miss Spain 2008. She had not yet reached the age of majority when a world of possibilities opened up for this young woman from Tenerife. But not at any cost. Over time, she proved that she would never betray her principles and, for that reason, she gave a resounding "no" to none other than Donald Trump (79) when he offered her a job after being a finalist in Miss Universe 2013. After all, the magnate was the owner of the contest.
"This man, specifically, didn't excite me as I believe he doesn't excite many, and he didn't give me a good vibe. But he approached me with a lot of respect, confidence, and great professional interest," confesses the former model and artist in an exclusive phone interview with LOC. She admits that after the great offer made by the man who would later become the President of the United States to work in New York, "my intuition never fails me, and I said no. I knew that if I said yes to that proposal, I would be a bit off balance, and that wasn't the plan."
Ambition for luxury and money is not her style. However, she has experienced them all over the world. It's not something that keeps her up at night. She considers herself a family person, her life revolves around her four-year-old daughter named Gara, and she expresses her sensitivity and worldview through her imagination. Not in vain, in 2018 she graduated from ESDIP, the School of Art in Madrid.
As described on her professional website, her work "moves between the figurative and the symbolic, articulating an emotional narrative that invites the viewer to connect with the essential and the vulnerable." Such is her success that some of her works are in private collections in Spain, Switzerland, London, or Miami.
On November 14, she will receive the Mujer en Acción award during the II edition of the Azul Zero Awards at Los Jameos del Agua (Lanzarote), whose purpose is to promote that respect for the Earth can go hand in hand with human progress.
Besides being the most beautiful woman in our country, in 2014 she attracted all the attention when she introduced her partner, singer and DJ Vanesa Klein, on her Instagram profile, making her the first Miss Spain to come out as homosexual. From that moment on, she would only be seen and judged through that lens, something that hurt her deeply. "It's something I regret, which is why I decided from that moment on that I wouldn't introduce any of my partners. I value my privacy a lot," she says.
Next year she has big projects lined up. From February 14 to the end of March, there will be an exhibition at the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, and around February or March -the exact date is still unknown- she will inaugurate a performance of her work at the CAAM (Atlantic Center of Modern Art) in Gran Canaria for just one day. What matters to her is to keep growing, as last year she presented at the MIAC (International Museum of Contemporary Art) in Lanzarote.
"I don't consider myself a fragile woman, but there are moments of vulnerability where you pay the price for being exposed."
What is biographical about your work?
There is a lot because it comes from my own intuition. I start from a search and an aesthetic that reflects a bit of my intuition and identity. I want to break away from certain roles or meeting expectations of roles that have been imposed or assigned to me, but that still create that character. My inspiration continues to reflect the ocean, its species, women, nudity. I am very connected to the theme of female nudity, which leads me to the best from a point of inspiration.
What techniques do you work with?
It has all been a process. The traditional techniques have been watercolor, pencil, and graphite, but also digital techniques.
Do you apply artificial intelligence to any of your work?
Honestly, I would like to do a master's in artificial intelligence because I don't want to fall behind. At the moment, I do not use it. I have digital works that start from a blank canvas in Procreate or Photoshop with a previous pencil sketch, but undoubtedly, I will end up using AI. I am not thrilled about it, but eventually... It's all about following a process. I started drawing in a traditional way, with watercolor, but once I entered art school where I got into the digital graphic art creation module, I explored a lot of programs that I had no idea about like Maya, Zbrush, and Toon Boom for animation. Now all of that is in the past, and you have to learn new programs and applications because where before it took three months to make a simple animation, now you can do it in less time.
Due to professional reasons, you travel often, how do you manage work-life balance?
Well. After eighteen years living in Madrid, I moved to the island about six months ago. At the moment, the main focus of work and my closest projects are on various islands. But I want to take it step by step because I don't want to create instability for my daughter, but since she is so young now, I think I can allow it as long as it is for quality of life. Also, the support network for me here is broader.
Is there a partner in that network?
Well, right now I am very calm and serene, I have emphasized the word peace a lot, and that is what I am trying to find at the moment. I have had to face many personal changes, but I am fine. At the moment, I am focused on myself, my daughter, and well, love is not lacking for me.
Of course, it is another type of love, all add up, but I was wondering to what extent would a romantic relationship deconstruct or alter a bit what you have achieved.
I think a romantic relationship ultimately always builds. But I can tell you that right now I am very calm and have little to say on this topic, really. And look, I also tell you that even if there is something, it is a topic that scares me because since I was so spontaneous back in the day, I was tormented for a long time after making one of my relationships official in 2013. So, I told myself that I would never talk about my love life again because that is a minefield, oh my, if I open that door... I don't want to be exposed in that area. I want to stay away from the spotlight.
But do you think you wouldn't be respected now after having achieved a successful career?
I have always been respected, but I have felt very exposed and despite being so due to my profession, having to deal with the exposure of my love life was much worse. That's where I learned that I wouldn't do it again. In the end, it's not as interesting as talking about something professional, right?
With the world as it is with so many wars, the rise of the far right, the cost of housing, or the cost of living, they say it would be better not to have children. From your perspective as a mother, how do you see the parallel between your daughter's development and the world's evolution?
I have close friends who lately tell me "Patricia the catastrophic has awakened" (laughs). I try not to watch too much news because it generates some anxiety in me. When I talk about fear, it has been something specific, like what I generalized with motherhood. I try not to overthink. All this change in artificial intelligence awakens some anxiety in me, which at first is a good tool, but at the same time, they say it will sacrifice many jobs or not, I don't know, but it's a bit scary. And well, my starting point is what you said, I try to be here now because you never know what will happen tomorrow. You might have a plan that no longer works, and there has to be a plan B, but in that, I consider myself an expert because there have always been moments in my life where I feel like I have survived instead of lived. From a very young age, I have been traveling the world and changing plans, but always based on values, coherence, and without losing my focus.
Without a doubt, we must continue to build.
Exactly. We all try to be productive, evolve, or adapt to changes, but in this case, I try to adapt and not just survive. I go with the flow based on what is presented to me, I also try to enjoy and as they say, today we are here, tomorrow we are not... but I want to leave a good legacy to my daughter.
You have always considered yourself a free woman, what price is paid for saying and doing whatever one pleases?
As a personal price for me, it is a satisfaction because I consider that freedom is not a right, but a responsibility. I always live with a purpose and try to overcome my fears because in the end, you are exposed, but I have always been respected. It is true that there was a time when it may not have been pleasant to be so exposed regarding the intimate side, so it remains a vulnerable point. I do not consider myself a fragile woman, but there are moments of vulnerability where you pay the price for being exposed. But ultimately, everything is balanced. There is a balance because, as I said, I do everything with respect, values, and courage.
What are those internal fears?
Since motherhood, I could say that I had never felt fears as such. One has uncertainties, maybe a bit of vertigo about what will come next, not everything is always smooth, but this is the game of life. But since I am a mother, it is true that new fears have arisen that I did not know and I deal with them, such as not living for myself but building for another, in this case, a girl who will see herself reflected in my actions and for whom I will be a mirror, a role model. I try to ensure that every step I take aligns with the values I want to instill in her. In short, my biggest fear is making a misstep that affects my daughter. As for the rest, I feel a lot of courage and a desire for good things to come, and if things are not so good, we will have to face them.
It is assumed that art as emotional expression helps you channel all these fears, anxieties, uncertainties we talked about and focus a little more on the present, is that so?
Yes, because I believe that what art teaches me is to look with more compassion and not be so catastrophic. I think it boils down to connecting with myself, as I mentioned. I have been very exposed, my profession as a model has led me to a frenetic pace where maybe I didn't connect so much with myself and to allow myself to explore without losing that curiosity that brought me to art. I had three years of academic training in Madrid, and through art, I create works that are a small confession or celebration of what I have achieved through personal merits. Art heals me, it has that power.
When you participated in Miss Universe, the owner of the beauty pageant was Donald Trump, what was he like up close?
He was still a person who has the ability to attract attention because he is not unnoticed. I only knew his business and media profile and the great ability he had to create. During the general rehearsal, none of us had any interaction with him, although he passed by all of us greeting us. The second time I saw him was when he proposed that I join the Trump agency in New York. He did it after the gala at the post-party, he approached me with a lot of respect, confidence, and great professional interest.
What did he propose to you?
The same conditions as the winner, that is, a very attractive contract with the Trump agency on Fifth Avenue. Any model would want to be in that dimension, but I like to progress gradually following certain levels. Trump arrived surrounded by eight people, and I was with two family members and one of the organization members. He congratulated me and made his offer. I didn't want to say no to his face, but I was very clear that I was not going to go down that path.