Ruplares, the art of a Venezuelan who sculpts recycled tires and aspires to achieve a Guinness record

It all started when Jhonathan Delgado (creator of Ruplares) returned to his country to take a vacation. At that time, the young man born in the plains state of Barinas, in southwestern Venezuela, was traveling on one of the country’s highways and he made a stop.

When he got out of the vehicle, Jhonathan observed a place where they sold handicrafts and various utilitarian objects, among which he found pieces made with recycled tire rubbers.

One piece that got his full attention was of a bird and it made him think that when he returned to Spain – where he has lived with his mother since he was little – he could dedicate himself to making works of art from recycled tires. 

Thus, was born the artistic project Ruplares, a proposal directed by Jonathan together with his girlfriend Zoleidy Renteria and his cousin John Anderson, which began to take shape in November 2015 on the Spanish island of Fuerteventura, the second largest of the Canary Islands.

RT spoke with this young Venezuelan to learn in detail about his artistic proposal, whose one of his main goals is to establish a Guinness record by creating the largest sculpture in the world made with recycled rubber.

A ‘surf goat’ for Fuerteventura

For the work with which he seeks to impose the Guinness record, Jonathan needs an engineer to approve the project and sign it. «The idea is to make a surf goat, which is typical of the island. The problem is that I have had to look for architects and engineers to do the project, because in Spain they ask for many papers to obtain the permit, but none are encouraged to do it, they do not want to risk giving it the go-ahead», he explains.

With that document (the permit), Ruplares would take the proposal to the local government, which already has knowledge of the idea, to determine what type of artwork they would approve.

«The only thing missing is the authorization of the architect who says that the work is viable and safe, but with those with whom I have spoken, they are not taking risks because there is a lot of wind on the island and that becomes a problem».

The artwork Jhonathan plans to carry out would be 15 meters high, so it would need the support of at least six people and would require several months of work.

To accomplish his task – he explains – he would have to make the goat much longer than he originally thought, so that he could eliminate the impact of the wind because of the strong air currents and get the art piece approved.

How did Ruplares start?

Jhonathan recalls that since his vacation trip to his native country, years had passed before he had the opportunity to start realizing his first project: a bird like the one he had seen in Venezuela.

“On that time, that I went back to Venezuela and saw things made with car rubber, I said to myself, ‘in Spain they recycle a lot, I’m going to take the idea there’. But for three years I didn’t do anything, until one day I went to change the wheels of my car and told the mechanic, ‘leave them to me , I’m going to try something’ «.

The first piece was started with his girlfriend, she decided to help him create, all in a self-taught way, and gave rise to Ruplares, an acronym for «Wheels, Plants and Recycling», which began with various creations such as earrings, key rings, pet beds, flowerpots, ornaments, among other objects.

«I started with my girlfriend and I tried to make a piece like the one I had seen in Venezuela, but it didn’t come out, it never came out. We had to buy an electric saw, because it was very difficult to cut the rubber that had wire. Then it occurred to us to try motorcycle rubber. I went to the workshop, we tried it and it came out very well».

After years of working the requests that were made to them with rubber, they decide to try again in making a piece of art. «One day we said, ‘We are going to try to make an animal’ and we made a wolf. We loved it and decided to take it to a bike shop where they used to give us the used rubber wheels to work with . The day we took it, a person saw us and fell in love with the piece. He told us that he wanted to buy it, we gave him a price and he paid us at once».

After that first sale, Ruplares began to make more pieces of art. «We saw that he liked it a lot, because it is something different. It is just not common. The customer who bought the wolf from us now has about 12 of our art works and he always asks us (if we have something new)”.

Help the environment

Delgado highlights that although there is a good recycling culture in Spain, there is also a big problem with rubber tires, since they accumulate in large quantities in places that have caught fire and they have generated a lot of pollution.

“People don’t know what to do with so much rubber and it occurred to me that at least a percentage of all that could be subtracted from the world and turned into art. So, I look for the rubber tires in the workshops or they call me. If not, they have to pay for a truck to pick up the tires».

Once he takes them to his workshop, Jonathan prepares the rubbers, washes them and cuts them to get the rubbers ready. «At the beginning it was difficult, it took time, because there is a lot of rubber that has wire. However, with practice you adapt. Over the years I have been getting the hang of it, I already know which wheel has wire and which does not, or which one is better for one thing or another».

And the learning process has been worth it: «The most gratifying thing, in addition to recycling, is to see that spectacular works emerge from a tire that was in the trash. I am also very encouraged by people’s reactions, they motivate me to continue, as has been the recognition of celebrities who write to me and buy my works».

Delgado comments that one of the pieces that has cost them the most to work on, was a boat coming out of a wall that a client asked them for, and that they finally sold for almost 4,000 euros.

Ruplares works pieces of different types, it all depends on what the clients asks of them. He sends his works to different regions of the world and proof of this are the orders made by various urban music interpreters such as Ozuna, Baby Rasta, among other representatives of the show business world.

The Ruplares Museum

The artistic initiative was so popular that, in July 2019, its members decided to open the Ruplares Museum so that tourists and residents could buy and see their works in Puerto del Rosario.

Months later, with the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic, the museum had to lower the blinds and to this day it remains that way. “We had to close due to the coronavirus issue and until it stabilizes, I prefer not to open. It is better if we wait until everything happens but now I am thinking of opening one outdoors, in a field».

“Apart from the museum that we opened, I always went to exhibit the artworks in different spaces and people always reacted positively. That is what keeps me creating», says Delgado, who emphasizes that it is not easy to start a personal project.

«You have to have determination and courage. There are many people who have good ideas but are afraid to take risks, because as they say, ‘he who does not risk, does not win’. At first, it is difficult. There were moments that caused me to leave everything, but that’s when you have to put more, be persevering, persistent and be patient, because things are not how you think».

The arepera llanera

Delgado is not exclusively dedicated to the sale of art. His main source of income is a restaurant dedicated to the sale of the traditional Venezuelan arepa, a place that has been recognized as the best in Fuerteventura.

«Currently I am not only dedicated to art. I have an arepera, the only one on the island, and I am dedicated to both endeavors. I have been working for four years and our restaurant, ‘Arepas Llaneras’, is listed as number one on the island in Tripadvisor reviews», he comments.

At the time, the idea of taking this typical Venezuelan food dish to an island in Spain sounded strange to many of the residents, who commented that it was not going to be successful. «In both businesses, both on the work with the rubber tires and on the arepera, there were people who laughed at what I was doing».

«With the arepera, they told me that this was not going to work, that people were very closed minded on the type of food they ate. With my art, they also told me that I should dedicate myself to something else, but I did not stop them, I continued with my dream and thank God, it has gone well for me».

For example – he says – in the arepera, people were a little reluctant to try at first. «But when they taste the arepas, they love them. They say they have a unique flavor and they take the peludas, the reina pepiada, the sifrinas, all of them».

Jonathan says that the success of his projects with his family can be summed up in his client’s satisfaction when they receive his artworks. He highlights that this feeling fills him with pride, as when famous people write to him to acquire his works and then share images of them on their social networks.

«The first time I spoke with one of those famous people I did not believe it, and when that person had my work in his hands, I could hardly sleep because of how impressed I was because of that fact. This has helped to form a chain that has put my artwork in view of everybody and it (my artwork) travels to any part of the world».