Upon entering Allouche Gallery, the eye is bombarded with bright neon pinks, oranges, and yellows coming from the clean white walls of the space. Yet despite the vivid color palette, the art of Rafa Macarron welcomes the viewer with a nostalgic and child-like energy coming from the simplified and fantastic shapes of the figures. The show features a mix of paintings, sculptures, and wall fixtures that fall somewhere between, all connected by a common style with screaming color and metallic figures.
Each work skews what is to be expected from figurative painting in a delightfully lively way. The works are inspired by the artist's readings of different philosophies as well as the bright Madrid landscape outside of his studio window play with the sense of proportion and perspective. Each figure swells and shrinks, some with large, bulbous, painted fingernails, some with a long, stringy neck, or a stretched face and bulging upper jaw.
The paintings invite one to come closer and inspect them and the viewer is rewarded with unexpected sculptural elements like spiny arm hairs, or gibbous and shiny eyeballs. Standing sculptures break up the space, encouraging movement while bringing elements from the paintings out onto the floor.
Walking around the gallery, one feels as if they are not just walking around the space viewing the art, but actively engaging with the pieces. The works interact with the space as a visitor interacts with the work; both in communication with the other and driven by curiosity.
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ReplyDeleteHi Mia, thanks for writing about this exhibition. I could not really see it on the day we were there. As you say, they are very playful and energetic with a variety of mediums and bright colors.
ReplyDeleteYet I am not so sure if these artworks are interactive or not. Besides the sculpture pieces, most of the large paintings are well-framed and hung on the walls. So, some viewers might just look at them as they are regular artworks in gallery space. If viewers really like them, then they would actively engage or react, but mostly, people would walk, see them, take pictures, and maybe that is it. Also, the works are perfectly fit and displayed well since it is a nice gallery space, but I am not sure if the works really interact with the space. Maybe adding some more details about how they are interactive each other would help you make it clear.
Other than that, I think you did a great job on describing the show! I really enjoyed reading it. :)