Not Vital »Contemplaciones«

Vital's early works established a dialogue between sculpture, painting, and conceptual approaches. This exhibition at Galerie Nordenhake in Mexico City brings together sculptures, drawings, and paintings specifically created for the show. The first work in the space is a sculpture the artist made using a series of stretched canvases, a new exploration of what he calls "Scrach": a crossover between sculpture and architecture, not only in terms of shape and construction but also in terms of the functions of each discipline. Vital also presents a series of seven drawings he produced while working in his studio in Rio de Janeiro. Given the stark contrast between the landscape surrounding the city and his native Sent, he found himself thinking often of the mountains of the Engiadina region, which he knows intimately. These works, which combine paper, aluminum foil, silicone, and liquids, evoke the act of looking at or traversing the mountains.

Since 2009, Vital’s focus has shifted significantly toward painting, primarily creating portraits of himself and those close to him. On this occasion, he has produced a series of oil-on-canvas self-portraits that reflect his emotional state during his one-month residency in the country. Though seemingly abstract at first glance, the paintings reveal ethereal figures that reduce the human silhouette to its minimally recognizable elements. Vital’s aim is to capture the essence of the subject being portrayed, and in this case, his own states of being on particular days. Many of the artworks feature more than one figure, creating interactions between shapes, colors, and emotions. That said, Vital, views these paintings as more than explorations of pigments or composition; they represent affective states—both his own as the artist and those of the viewers who engage with this pictorial record. He created all of these works on-site at the gallery, transforming part of the space into his studio.