Obsessions: Memory, Ideology & the Creative Process

About

 Artists are no different than any other human being and as such have worries of their own that ponder in their minds.

The difference lies in that artists have the capacity of translating it them to an artistic medium such as canvas, film or objects; leaving behind a visual trail. Following that idea, this exhibition brings together a group of artists who are consistently exploring recurrent themes.

These artists have steadily worked with the same subjects for years. One of the main sub themes explored in the show is Memory. Memories are important in people’s life, and it has served as inspiration to many artists or at least as departure point for their work. Among those we have in the exhibition Carlos Estevez and Jose Manuel Fors, both concerned with anthropological memories.

There are two other sub themes part of the cycle of life associated with memories: sex and death. Sex is implicit in William Cannings’ and Tracey Snelling’s pieces. The preoccupation with death is documented in Oscar Bony’s and Jose Toirac’s works.

Ideology is another recurrent sub theme in many artists’ work and explored in this exhibition.  Artists such as Abel Barroso, Ariamna Contino, and Sandra Ramos explore it through social comments. Others like Gustavo Acosta and Santiago Porter touch on it by exploring architecture as a symbol of power.

The creative process is perhaps the sub theme that could unify all the artists since all of them go through it, and it is implicit in their works. In this show is represented by pieces of Edouard Duval Carrie, Leon Ferrari, and Ruben Millares. In their pieces, the process takes the protagonist place, in a kind of trompe l’oeil effect. We are first fascinated by the manufacture, and later by all the hidden meaning behind the aesthetics.

These are universal themes connected to the human existence, from basic needs such as living spaces (architecture) to memories or the need generated by the creative process as such.  Here we present this group of artists with wide-ranging pieces and leave it to the viewer to evaluate and decide when it is a theme explored to exhaustion, a fixation or an obsession.

Participating Artists: Gustavo Acosta, Abel Barroso, Oscar Bony, Ariamna Contino, William Cannings, Edouard Duval Carrie, Carlos Estevez, Leon Ferrari, Jose Manuel Fors, Ruben Millares, Santiago Porter, Sandra Ramos,  Tracey Snelling, Jose Angel Toirac.