
The line of division between light and shadow / unknown cascade of hazard / light of the gesture and of the word / invisible frontiers near by.
Albert Ràfols-Casamada
Concept
This extract of the poem « Limits » of Albert Ràfols-Casamada evokes one major aspect of my work: the link between shape, light and colour. The collage technique allows different materials to be combined, such as cloth, pigments, paper or wood. This is a complex haptic process: applying colour on the canvas, letting it flow freely in some areas, diluting them, seeing how the picture evolves…sticking, constructing. The possibilities are unlimited, everything can become a material for the collage at any time.
The glued-on patches of paper, cloth, letters, plants have a past, their own individual history. A piece of cloth bears the traces of its wearer. A photography was taken in a particular moment. I feel attracted by these peaces of life, by what happens when I place them in a different context, how one fragment attracts another, how it integrates itself into the overall picture, how completely different realities can suddenly become a harmonious whole.
My work is intimately linked to the traditional philosophy of Tai Chi Chuan and Karate, which is grounded in the relation between body and spirit. It is about concentration, an open-minded attitude, about the equilibrium between relaxation and control, giving form to emotions and expressing their energies. Balance is a fundamental notion in my work: balance between warm and cold colours, between different material surfaces and dense and transparent spaces, the different energies…
The encounter of colours, words and shapes permits complex combinations. In collaboration with the poets, I incorporate text lines or individual words in the collages and explore the different connotations provoked this way. The extracts of the poems evoke the musical, palpable aspect of language – the perception of the world as an encounter of fragments.