Grace/fool Love (2017-2020)
- ...When we act we fail when we fail we fall’ -Slavoj Zizeck
The act of falling is always perceived by the ‘Other’ as a foolish act, in this case falling in love is the highest form of foolishness. In our contemporary capitalist culture rooted in materialism the highest and the most foolish form of love is the love of the mystics as in this case the figure of ‘the lover’ is in itself non personified non material and non existent.
Grace/fool Love uses sculpture and painting methods to explore the possibility of encountering some sort of transcendence or mystical love within artistic practice from a universal perspective in the fruitful space which encompasses Western and Eastern perspectives, narratives, sensibility and aesthetics. The relationship between figure and background, perspective and representation, figuration and abstraction revisit classic Western and Eastern concerns and themes from a contemporary framework.
Materials such as glass emphasise the feelings of nakedness, fragility, transparency and beauty of falling in love. Ropes, rubbers, plaster, resins and the presence of mould making traces in the oil paintings and finished sculptures bring the process to the fore, hinting that the most relevant and aesthetic solutions present themselves in accidents, mistakes or unplanned failed turns.
Thus “Grace/fool Love” is a play on words aimed to emphasise an attitude of foolishness towards grace. Adopting the anachronistic crazy wisdom of Don Quixote or the admiration for the apparently meaningless things of Zhuanzi, I am trying “like a fool” to grasp some sort of freedom which springs from a expansion of the sensorial experience which takes place when we make an Artwork or fall in love. A human condition which resides at the core of different world views and understandings of reality, beyond dogma and cultural misconceptions.
The act of falling is always perceived by the ‘Other’ as a foolish act, in this case falling in love is the highest form of foolishness. In our contemporary capitalist culture rooted in materialism the highest and the most foolish form of love is the love of the mystics as in this case the figure of ‘the lover’ is in itself non personified non material and non existent.
Grace/fool Love uses sculpture and painting methods to explore the possibility of encountering some sort of transcendence or mystical love within artistic practice from a universal perspective in the fruitful space which encompasses Western and Eastern perspectives, narratives, sensibility and aesthetics. The relationship between figure and background, perspective and representation, figuration and abstraction revisit classic Western and Eastern concerns and themes from a contemporary framework.
Materials such as glass emphasise the feelings of nakedness, fragility, transparency and beauty of falling in love. Ropes, rubbers, plaster, resins and the presence of mould making traces in the oil paintings and finished sculptures bring the process to the fore, hinting that the most relevant and aesthetic solutions present themselves in accidents, mistakes or unplanned failed turns.
Thus “Grace/fool Love” is a play on words aimed to emphasise an attitude of foolishness towards grace. Adopting the anachronistic crazy wisdom of Don Quixote or the admiration for the apparently meaningless things of Zhuanzi, I am trying “like a fool” to grasp some sort of freedom which springs from a expansion of the sensorial experience which takes place when we make an Artwork or fall in love. A human condition which resides at the core of different world views and understandings of reality, beyond dogma and cultural misconceptions.
The Dream (2014-2016)
The Dream is set out to portray the spirit, the essence and the strength of the Vietnamese character. The artist’s intention is to get close to who the Vietnamese are as human beings, their dreams, identity and aspirations. The sculpture becomes a way to explore their intimate relationship with their motorbikes, an attempt to capture and expand on their persona. The title of the show refers also to the iconic motorbike model ‘Honda Dream’ and to how much of the Vietnamese’s everyday lives spins around these old machines, how they literally sleep, eat and live on them.
The show consists in a total of nine marble pieces, a short video projection, three large paintings in silk and a selection of sketches, collages and storyboards of the pieces and the film.
The sculptures are variations and extrapolations of different parts of motorbikes. The sculptures work as a dismembered part of a larger body. The body of the ‘Honda Dream’, the parts are somehow different stages of dreaming. The marble pieces aim to emphasise not only the obvious physical dimension with the motorbike parts but also the more unconscious, emotional and spiritual content hinted in the material of the white marble, burnt wood or stone. The titles of the pieces and the stands are abstractions of mythological motives constantly active in the Vietnamese heritage, traditional Art and craftsmanship.
The film intercuts footage of the making of the marble pieces (moonlike scape of the workshop covered in white dust) with footage the artist gathered on his motorbike journeys throughout the country. Also there are some references to the mythological animals and elements staged in popular celebrations such as the lion or the dragon dance.
The large paintings on silk portray the body of the motorcyclist without the actual motorbike. The bodies painted on translucent silk are like ghosts or dreamy images floating and being driven in the space by a non existent vehicle.
The show consists in a total of nine marble pieces, a short video projection, three large paintings in silk and a selection of sketches, collages and storyboards of the pieces and the film.
The sculptures are variations and extrapolations of different parts of motorbikes. The sculptures work as a dismembered part of a larger body. The body of the ‘Honda Dream’, the parts are somehow different stages of dreaming. The marble pieces aim to emphasise not only the obvious physical dimension with the motorbike parts but also the more unconscious, emotional and spiritual content hinted in the material of the white marble, burnt wood or stone. The titles of the pieces and the stands are abstractions of mythological motives constantly active in the Vietnamese heritage, traditional Art and craftsmanship.
The film intercuts footage of the making of the marble pieces (moonlike scape of the workshop covered in white dust) with footage the artist gathered on his motorbike journeys throughout the country. Also there are some references to the mythological animals and elements staged in popular celebrations such as the lion or the dragon dance.
The large paintings on silk portray the body of the motorcyclist without the actual motorbike. The bodies painted on translucent silk are like ghosts or dreamy images floating and being driven in the space by a non existent vehicle.
Bodies of Light (2011-2013)
Bodies of Light source of inspiration is the collection of professional photographer’s magazines from the seventies my grandad had in his house. I used to make drawings of these fascinating images when I was a little boy and he wanted to keep me quiet. He just handed these magazines to me so I could make drawings for hours on end.
Portraits of characters from all over the world and aspects of life were somehow talking to me with their very expressive and different faces to what I normally saw on my everyday life growing in the North os Spain. For me drawing became a way to travel in time and space to places, to meet people I seemed to know better the more hours I spent drawing them.
After many years I came across these magazines again which were seriously damaged, pealing off pages due to humidity and lack of usage. The colours were all altered, blurring the image and the background, it seemed as if the characters I once knew in my imagination where now disintegrating into fading colours and humidity stains. For me to rediscover these pictures was fascinating, I had the urge to draw them again a need to rescue them and on doing so I also damaged the surface of the canvases and papers to capture the effect of these bodies disappearing into damaged backgrounds and over saturated colours.
The making of the stains and damaged surfaces took a life of its own moving some of the works towards abstraction་as the stains and the surfaces became more intriguing than the portrayed figures. A series of sculptures also came along, most of the characters and bodies portrayed in these old magazines would have either aged a lot or more likely had already died. The resulting sculptures and abstract large paintings recall their interpreted persona and energy, a venture to prolong their evanescent presence..
Portraits of characters from all over the world and aspects of life were somehow talking to me with their very expressive and different faces to what I normally saw on my everyday life growing in the North os Spain. For me drawing became a way to travel in time and space to places, to meet people I seemed to know better the more hours I spent drawing them.
After many years I came across these magazines again which were seriously damaged, pealing off pages due to humidity and lack of usage. The colours were all altered, blurring the image and the background, it seemed as if the characters I once knew in my imagination where now disintegrating into fading colours and humidity stains. For me to rediscover these pictures was fascinating, I had the urge to draw them again a need to rescue them and on doing so I also damaged the surface of the canvases and papers to capture the effect of these bodies disappearing into damaged backgrounds and over saturated colours.
The making of the stains and damaged surfaces took a life of its own moving some of the works towards abstraction་as the stains and the surfaces became more intriguing than the portrayed figures. A series of sculptures also came along, most of the characters and bodies portrayed in these old magazines would have either aged a lot or more likely had already died. The resulting sculptures and abstract large paintings recall their interpreted persona and energy, a venture to prolong their evanescent presence..
In the Skin of the Bull (2007-2010)
In the Skin of the Bull is a personal attempt to decipher, stage and share a particular form of self-knowledge embedded in sculpture praxis, this form of knowledge springs from the interaction with the materials in the intimate relationship between the sculptor and the sculpture. In order to do this, the project enhances the ritualistic dimension of the process of bronze casting entering it as an initiate who will transform and transforms him/herself with the interaction of the materials.
This body of work is composed by bronze and clay sculptures, a film, writing/thesis, performances, props of the performances, watercolour drawings and storyboards. The film documents the process of making a sculpture from its conception on clay to the pouring of the liquid bronze. This action intercuts with performances filmed in a blacked out studio which explore the internal and external stimuli of the materials triggered by the sense of touch. The skin is the perceptive organ which connects the sensations of the materials with the inner space of memories, dreams and imagination.
In order to stretch the ritualistic dimension, the structure of the film traces a parallel with the stages and archaic symbolism embedded in bullfighting. This is introduced with aesthetic elements which refer to Clouzot’s The Mystery of Picasso (1956) acknowledging the usage of film as means to capture the creative process. Touch, sensuality, identity, sublimation, the beast, the self and the dimension of death are explored throughout the film, a film which tries to articulate something which can at times barely be experienced and even less sustained, peak purely perceptive and somehow intuitive moments of self-expression.
This body of work is composed by bronze and clay sculptures, a film, writing/thesis, performances, props of the performances, watercolour drawings and storyboards. The film documents the process of making a sculpture from its conception on clay to the pouring of the liquid bronze. This action intercuts with performances filmed in a blacked out studio which explore the internal and external stimuli of the materials triggered by the sense of touch. The skin is the perceptive organ which connects the sensations of the materials with the inner space of memories, dreams and imagination.
In order to stretch the ritualistic dimension, the structure of the film traces a parallel with the stages and archaic symbolism embedded in bullfighting. This is introduced with aesthetic elements which refer to Clouzot’s The Mystery of Picasso (1956) acknowledging the usage of film as means to capture the creative process. Touch, sensuality, identity, sublimation, the beast, the self and the dimension of death are explored throughout the film, a film which tries to articulate something which can at times barely be experienced and even less sustained, peak purely perceptive and somehow intuitive moments of self-expression.
Embodiments (2005-2007)
In order to truly understand something we need to deeply embody it. We learn through our bodies, we absorb experiences, significant events and people that we are close to via incorporating their gestures, manners, expressions... Even the way we desire and how we project ourselves in the world is shaped by unconscious embodiments of experiences and relationships.
In this sense, the sculptural object establishes a particular relationship to the body, the physicality of the materials, other interactions involved in the process and an imagined audience. In order to make a sculpture one has to enhance perception, feel and sense the object not only intellectually but in many other levels, physically, emotionally... memories and dreams also take a very important part on this process. Embodiments emphasises the importance of this phenomena and how It relates to the practice of sculpture.
This collection uses bronze sculptures, film, drawing and installation to express how central embodiment has been in the practice of sculpture: The bronzes were made with the intention to create some autonomous entities which sprang from childhood dreams, bodily functions and desires. The drawings and installation were the storyboard and the props for the film.
The film titled Patofito was a deep dive on my first recollection of a public performance as an infant when I had to wear a duck like costume and sing a song. I was then very anxious and excited but my mom gave me the confidence to perform and go in front of the public to become “the best duck I could be”. In the film a child wearing Patofito’s costume transforms eggs he steals from a geese into tennis balls. Through a window he accesses a real tennis court where faceless tennis players use the balls o pound each other to death. Self-confrontation, anxiety and violence at the core of the subject become relevant in this short film.
In this sense, the sculptural object establishes a particular relationship to the body, the physicality of the materials, other interactions involved in the process and an imagined audience. In order to make a sculpture one has to enhance perception, feel and sense the object not only intellectually but in many other levels, physically, emotionally... memories and dreams also take a very important part on this process. Embodiments emphasises the importance of this phenomena and how It relates to the practice of sculpture.
This collection uses bronze sculptures, film, drawing and installation to express how central embodiment has been in the practice of sculpture: The bronzes were made with the intention to create some autonomous entities which sprang from childhood dreams, bodily functions and desires. The drawings and installation were the storyboard and the props for the film.
The film titled Patofito was a deep dive on my first recollection of a public performance as an infant when I had to wear a duck like costume and sing a song. I was then very anxious and excited but my mom gave me the confidence to perform and go in front of the public to become “the best duck I could be”. In the film a child wearing Patofito’s costume transforms eggs he steals from a geese into tennis balls. Through a window he accesses a real tennis court where faceless tennis players use the balls o pound each other to death. Self-confrontation, anxiety and violence at the core of the subject become relevant in this short film.
Erotogenicity (2002-2004)
This body of work strives to work as a metalanguage via putting together on an imaginary level different layers of discourse in order to make possible or impossible oneiric connections with the audience. The intention is to explore the dimension of myth in contemporary culture, to see culture as a larger agent or entity which like us is hopefully still forming and developing from a Narcissistic identity into a more loving and less self- centred agent.
In Freudian terms, Erotogenicity is the faculty of any part of the body to become a source for sexual stimulus in the early stages of personality formation. This is a phase of childhood when infants relate to the world and become familiar with their still alien body which is then felt as dismembered and fragmented. Sexual stimulus is a central part of this psycho-physical discovery in the solipsistic relationship of the infant and the body of the mother.
The inspiration for this project also came from reading Cher Krause Knight in ‘Mickey, Minnie and Mecca, Destination Disney World, Pilgrimage in the Twentieth Century’ (1999). In this text Krause points at the difficulty of embracing an spiritual dimension in capitalist/materialist societies where the only place left for spiritual transformative experiences such as pilgrimage is in holiday family packages with the main destination being Disney World.
This body of work was shown on my birthplace A Coruña/ Santiago de Compostela, pilgrimage location for Catholics all over the world where the body of St James is supposed to be resting. However there is historical evidence that this pilgrimage was already taking place since the time of the Celts when they performed it as a veneration to their mother goddess and protector of the sea Isis, the sea was the place where her beloved Osiris was reborn and like St. James also brought to the sore in a boat.
Transformation of myth, the obsession with the figure of the Saint and Art practice as a personal pilgrimage towards one’s own origins is explored and proposed in this body of work which consisted in a combination of bronze sculptures, lenticular images, an animation, a 3D printed sculpture, and a film.
In Freudian terms, Erotogenicity is the faculty of any part of the body to become a source for sexual stimulus in the early stages of personality formation. This is a phase of childhood when infants relate to the world and become familiar with their still alien body which is then felt as dismembered and fragmented. Sexual stimulus is a central part of this psycho-physical discovery in the solipsistic relationship of the infant and the body of the mother.
The inspiration for this project also came from reading Cher Krause Knight in ‘Mickey, Minnie and Mecca, Destination Disney World, Pilgrimage in the Twentieth Century’ (1999). In this text Krause points at the difficulty of embracing an spiritual dimension in capitalist/materialist societies where the only place left for spiritual transformative experiences such as pilgrimage is in holiday family packages with the main destination being Disney World.
This body of work was shown on my birthplace A Coruña/ Santiago de Compostela, pilgrimage location for Catholics all over the world where the body of St James is supposed to be resting. However there is historical evidence that this pilgrimage was already taking place since the time of the Celts when they performed it as a veneration to their mother goddess and protector of the sea Isis, the sea was the place where her beloved Osiris was reborn and like St. James also brought to the sore in a boat.
Transformation of myth, the obsession with the figure of the Saint and Art practice as a personal pilgrimage towards one’s own origins is explored and proposed in this body of work which consisted in a combination of bronze sculptures, lenticular images, an animation, a 3D printed sculpture, and a film.
Juego Revuelto! (2002-2003)
This body of work was produced between London and Madrid to be shown firstly at the Fraser Gallery in London and later on when completed in a Solo show at Galería 57 in Madrid. The title of this body of work was: - Juego Revuelto! A literal translation into English would be: - This Game is a Mess!. It is an expression that people and specially children would shout out while playing a game or a sport where the players either start cheating or stop following the rules.
-Juego Revuelto! Points out to a situation of chaos, a moment of awareness when one realizes that it makes no sense to keep on playing the game or at least, the person who shouts it out decides to give up and not to play any longer.
This body of Work is a critique of consumer society and points out how the pursue of material goods in a society of mere spectacle with no values, could lead the individual towards an existential sense of meaninglessness, isolation and solitude.
The show was divided in two parts, a gallery installation alongside a video piece displayed in the Spanish Artfair ARCO’03 in IFEMA, selected to be part of “ Projects Unknown”. The gallery had three rooms and each room and the installation was divided in three themes.
The video, filmed in London captured the footage of aged ladies performing aqua fitness exercises in a swimming pool, holding hands and dancing in circles. The extremely pixelated image hinted a decadent but poetic version of the impressionist pointillist painting from Seurat “Bathers at Asnieres” (1884)
The show was a combination of sculptures in fimo and resin, alongside large photographs of the sculptures. The sizes of the sculptures were like children’s toys in most instances and in others life size. The themes of the rooms where: The Labyrinth, Eros vs. Ares and finally Barbie and Ken. Identity, sexuality, gender and the passing of time were elements aimed to decontextualize and depoliticize our role in society.
I wanted to lead the audience to consider the fact that in our consumerist society we are being forced to play a very competitive game that if we slow down and take some time to reflect on it, we may come to the realization that it does make no sense to keep on playing it.
-Juego Revuelto! Points out to a situation of chaos, a moment of awareness when one realizes that it makes no sense to keep on playing the game or at least, the person who shouts it out decides to give up and not to play any longer.
This body of Work is a critique of consumer society and points out how the pursue of material goods in a society of mere spectacle with no values, could lead the individual towards an existential sense of meaninglessness, isolation and solitude.
The show was divided in two parts, a gallery installation alongside a video piece displayed in the Spanish Artfair ARCO’03 in IFEMA, selected to be part of “ Projects Unknown”. The gallery had three rooms and each room and the installation was divided in three themes.
The video, filmed in London captured the footage of aged ladies performing aqua fitness exercises in a swimming pool, holding hands and dancing in circles. The extremely pixelated image hinted a decadent but poetic version of the impressionist pointillist painting from Seurat “Bathers at Asnieres” (1884)
The show was a combination of sculptures in fimo and resin, alongside large photographs of the sculptures. The sizes of the sculptures were like children’s toys in most instances and in others life size. The themes of the rooms where: The Labyrinth, Eros vs. Ares and finally Barbie and Ken. Identity, sexuality, gender and the passing of time were elements aimed to decontextualize and depoliticize our role in society.
I wanted to lead the audience to consider the fact that in our consumerist society we are being forced to play a very competitive game that if we slow down and take some time to reflect on it, we may come to the realization that it does make no sense to keep on playing it.
Summum-Sumo (2000-2001)
This body of work was produced in Japan where my fascination with the quality and the beauty of their natural clays and porcelains alongside the spectacle/ Art fighting form of Sumo translated into this collection. Summum-Sumo focuses in the ritual dimension of the ancient tradition of Sumo wrestling.
Twenty one porcelain and clay pieces, eleven works on canvas and twenty two works on paper contrasted popular contemporary wrestlers presented in a black and white portrayed as ancient nearly primitive expressions with the intention of exploring the mythical dimension of their Art. The aim is to bridge the personal identity of contemporary Sumo wrestlers with the ancient warriors they are evoking and impersonating on the rituals -such as throwing salt or stomping the ground to keep bad spirits away- before their contest. The states of trance and heightened states of consciousness they enter to perform their best in these events is something this collection aspires to grasp.
The word Summum comes from the Latin -top or ultimate- is contrasted with Sumo in the title not only for the grandiose quality of the nearly sacred dimension of the Sumo event but also to enhance an state of delicate balance between opposite forces which takes place within the contest where at times the dramatic clash of forces resumes in very gracious and nearly effortless resolutions.
The clay and porcelain sculptures portray the softness and hardness of the sumo wrestlers, modelled hollow. The cracked bodies contrast the strength of their gestures with the fragility of the materials. The paintings executed in a simple gesture illustrate the art of calligraphy, with a mixture of simple colours try to capture the personality of the wrestles, enhancing the three dimensionality, lightness and weight of their extremely strong jet soft bodies.
Twenty one porcelain and clay pieces, eleven works on canvas and twenty two works on paper contrasted popular contemporary wrestlers presented in a black and white portrayed as ancient nearly primitive expressions with the intention of exploring the mythical dimension of their Art. The aim is to bridge the personal identity of contemporary Sumo wrestlers with the ancient warriors they are evoking and impersonating on the rituals -such as throwing salt or stomping the ground to keep bad spirits away- before their contest. The states of trance and heightened states of consciousness they enter to perform their best in these events is something this collection aspires to grasp.
The word Summum comes from the Latin -top or ultimate- is contrasted with Sumo in the title not only for the grandiose quality of the nearly sacred dimension of the Sumo event but also to enhance an state of delicate balance between opposite forces which takes place within the contest where at times the dramatic clash of forces resumes in very gracious and nearly effortless resolutions.
The clay and porcelain sculptures portray the softness and hardness of the sumo wrestlers, modelled hollow. The cracked bodies contrast the strength of their gestures with the fragility of the materials. The paintings executed in a simple gesture illustrate the art of calligraphy, with a mixture of simple colours try to capture the personality of the wrestles, enhancing the three dimensionality, lightness and weight of their extremely strong jet soft bodies.
Archetypes (1997-2000)
In Jungian terms Archetypes are ancient mental images inherent to our innermost unconscious structures which have been shared and represented differently by many cultures throughout time. These structures have shaped our beliefs, religions, interactions, social roles and ideals while remaining vivid in new narrative forms such as films, novels, advertisement...
In a contemporary society where our unconscious desires are triggered and shaped for commercial reasons, there is little room for the exploration of our psyche, narrowing our access to experience more profound interactions with the world around us, a deeper perception and sense of meaning. The will of the individual is reduced to become a mere consumer, numbing our human potential with a false sense of fulfilment in the endless acquirement of commercial goods.
Archetypes aims to expose this numbing effect of popular mass culture and to reveal through reinterpreting these archaic narratives their validity. The goal is to show how even when we use them removed from their sacred dimensions they still can have a powerful impact in our being. Highly gloss enlarged photographs of plasticine models and large sculptures, cut outs from magazines and advertisements turned into large inflatable silkscreens or paintings on acetates presented as installations, explore and blur the space between the second and the third dimension.
Two dimensional images become three dimensional sculptures and installations and three dimensional sculptures become flattened images. The intention is to bridge the separation between these dimensions alongside time, to frame these works within an illusory dream like/parallel dimension of our psyche where these ancient myths and reinterpreted narrations may inhabit.
Direct references to Caravaggio and Goya are made in titles and compositions with the intention of enhancing the timeless psychological dimension of the Archetype. Titles such as “The Disasters of the Mind/ Series” point to our everyday state of inner conflict, a psychological struggle to integrate our Shadow in an individual and social level.
In a contemporary society where our unconscious desires are triggered and shaped for commercial reasons, there is little room for the exploration of our psyche, narrowing our access to experience more profound interactions with the world around us, a deeper perception and sense of meaning. The will of the individual is reduced to become a mere consumer, numbing our human potential with a false sense of fulfilment in the endless acquirement of commercial goods.
Archetypes aims to expose this numbing effect of popular mass culture and to reveal through reinterpreting these archaic narratives their validity. The goal is to show how even when we use them removed from their sacred dimensions they still can have a powerful impact in our being. Highly gloss enlarged photographs of plasticine models and large sculptures, cut outs from magazines and advertisements turned into large inflatable silkscreens or paintings on acetates presented as installations, explore and blur the space between the second and the third dimension.
Two dimensional images become three dimensional sculptures and installations and three dimensional sculptures become flattened images. The intention is to bridge the separation between these dimensions alongside time, to frame these works within an illusory dream like/parallel dimension of our psyche where these ancient myths and reinterpreted narrations may inhabit.
Direct references to Caravaggio and Goya are made in titles and compositions with the intention of enhancing the timeless psychological dimension of the Archetype. Titles such as “The Disasters of the Mind/ Series” point to our everyday state of inner conflict, a psychological struggle to integrate our Shadow in an individual and social level.