Matt Hewson
Like a lot of immigrant Australians, comedian Ivan Aristeguieta has faced many challenges since arriving from Venezuela 11 years ago.
Now an Australian citizen – a self-proclaimed Venestralian – Aristeguieta is beginning to overcome his difficulty with one of the more troubling aspects of Australian society.
“It’s difficult, man; if you don’t grow up in a country where people play cricket it takes you years to understand it,” he said.
“I have adopted a lot of Australian traditions into my yearly traditions, and watching the cricket on Boxing Day is one. For the first 10 years I didn’t understand anything.
“There are so many different little details you have to pay attention to, it’s no wonder a game of cricket is called a test. But absolutely, the best nap of the year is the Boxing Day cricket nap, it’s beautiful.”
The process of becoming an Aussie – “it’s been a beautiful journey” – has been a major part of Aristeguieta’s life for over a decade and forms the basis of his current show, Citizen.
In Citizen, Aristeguieta adopts a quintessentially Australian way of expressing his admiration for his new home; poking fun at it.
“It’s not taking the piss, it’s paying tribute,” he said.
“I think that’s how the Australian sense of humour works. When you call your friend (a swear word) it’s an ironic way of saying I love you.”
The Melbourne-based comedian has won over Australian audiences in the past decade, and Citizen, which premiered this year on the festival circuit, has been his most successful show so far.
Describing Citizen, Aristeguieta slips into a metaphor based on another of his loves, gastronomy.
“This show is in peak form right now,” he said.
“It’s matured, it’s been pickled properly, you can taste the umami and the ageing process.”
Ivan Aristeguieta’s Citizen is at the Potato Shed on Friday, October 20.
