Paz

“Peace” is a work that, as its name indicates, seeks to generate in the viewer a feeling of tranquility and relaxation. A fairly simple concept, true, but sometimes we don’t realize that it is needed in our lives, even more than we think. Being able to have a moment where we consciously disconnect our mind from everything is important; Nowadays, it is normal to feel overwhelmed both mentally and physically, especially in a society where everything happens too quickly. Along with small nuances of the beautiful Chinese culture, this piece seeks to provide a space where calm takes center stage and the overwhelming excess of information that surrounds us remains in the background, even if it is only for a few moments. Being able to take a few seconds, minutes, even hours…the work does not establish any greater limit than we consider necessary. You just need to inhale, exhale and let the sensations that the piece provokes flow.

Technical, aesthetic and conceptual development

When thinking about a space that has a relaxing atmosphere but not empty or very simple, the first thing that came to mind was a natural landscape. There is something in the magic of nature, where no matter how many components it has, they are always found in a harmony that generates a totally captivating environment. The mountains, the lake, the sun’s rays, the little fisherman, even the flowers that fall on the canvas, everything together forms a landscape that exudes tranquility. On the other hand, I consider it necessary to mention that the arch on the side, the background music, the fisherman’s hat and the title of the piece (和平), are small components in the work that emphasize Chinese culture. Simple detail but one that I considered interesting to give a bit of personality to the scene.

One of the texts that mainly invited me to carry out this piece was “Ambients and ludic spaces” by Simón Marchán Fiz (1994); In this, he mentions that “(…) the environment is an artistic form that occupies a certain space and surrounds the viewer, who is no longer in front of, but in the work.” Although the opposite happens in my work, there was something in the text that invited me to try to create a scenario that manages to involve those who observe it, at least within the limitations that I have. Since I cannot create an environment where one can literally immerse oneself, like those mentioned in the text, the least I can try is to capture the auditory and visual senses of the observer and immerse him or her as much as possible in the atmosphere of the work. Another phrase that I found interesting from the text was “Art must offer a set of stimuli that the viewer will be in charge of structuring.” “Peace” offers the viewer the audiovisual elements of a relaxed and harmonious environment, it is up to those who see it to be able to go through at their own pace the emotions and sensations that the work seeks to provoke. It can happen that what begins as a feeling of calm, triggers melancholy, happiness, sadness, relief… In the end it is the viewer who ends up giving a more intimate interpretation to the work. César Aira in his text “On Contemporary Art” (2013) mentions that: “Art becomes a slightly fantastic game over time: it is the documentation of something that was, and at the same time a promise of something that will be.” In this piece, if you want, there can be many feelings involved, and I think that is one of its most beautiful parts. Perhaps it refers to moments in the past, perhaps it allows us to idealize the future, or simply analyze the present calmly.

Literature

AIRA, César “Sobre el Arte Contemporáneo” (2013)

MARCHÁN, Simón Fiz “Ambientes y espacios lúdicos” (1994)