PICTORIAL REFLECTION. VE-CONTEMP

The German organization for artistic representation VE-CONTEMP, as part of a series of  exhibitions in Madrid, is pleased to invite you to the first solo show in Spain by  Venezuelan artist José Vívenes. The opening will take place on April 25 at 7:30 PM at  GN (Calle de Valencia 17, 28012 Madrid), curated by Vincent Echenique. 

The vernissage, entitled Pictorial Reflection, will feature the presence of the artist  himself, who will present his most recent body of work: a selection of nearly twenty  pieces that bear witness to his artistic journey and the concerns that have earned him  international recognition. 

Vívenes is exhibiting in Madrid for the first time. This exhibition encapsulates his position  as an artist, his unexpected influences, his passion for visual art, and his creative  ambition. His compositions, marked by absurdity, confront us with a world where the  irrational becomes a reflection of contemporary society. A tension arises between the  desire to find meaning and the acceptance of its absence, prompting us to question  whether it is even worth seeking reason where perhaps there is none. 

From this reflection emerges a striking sense of balance in the composition of each  piece, as if the previously mentioned irrationality loses its meaning and the pictorial  ensemble before us becomes a coherent and deeply human narrative. 

The exhibition will remain open to the public until May 16. 

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The constant confrontation with his surroundings—sometimes more subtle than others— combined with the reasoning necessary to achieve his pictorial endeavor and escape that  artistic limbo, has been an organic process reflected in José Vívenes’ work. Thus, he perceives  painting as an ongoing personal dialogue in which he engages the listener—who, in this case,  becomes a spectator—stimulating their imagination through their own interpretative  conclusions and perceptions of the exchange between the artwork and the artist, appealing to  our cultural baggage.

Particularly in this exhibition, Pictorial Reflection, José Vívenes presents his position as an  artist, his concerns, and his trajectory as a creator. He invites us to contemplate compositions of  the absurd, revealing the irrational nature of the world and society. Consequently, we find  ourselves in conflict, seeking meaning, only to realize that, ultimately, there is little use in trying  to rationalize the why. From this reflection emerges a majestic balance in the composition of  each piece, as if what was previously questioned lost its significance and the pictorial ensemble  before us became a coherent narrative where order reigns.

The body of work presented in this exhibition reflects references to art history, contemporary  Latin American and Central European artistic movements, German Expressionism, Dutch  landscape painting, and the architecture of old Europe. Many find these elements fascinating for  the way they, with just a few components, contemporaneously reposition us in the present—or  at least make us believe so.

Our imagination betrays us when confronted with that of the artist, placing us before the  dilemma of trusting our own perceptions or yielding to his narrative—one that could very well  stem from historical inaccuracies or, conversely, be the sensible outcome of free artistic  creation. It is the subtlety with which these elements are fused that awakens the discourse  within the artwork.

The artist’s self-reflection, evident in each of his brushstrokes, exposes the connections,  aversions, and codes that have shaped our societies—not with the intent of being prescriptive,  but rather as the result of an organically layered development that, fortunately, regains its  relevance when presented to us in forms, figures, and colors. This cultural syncretism  characterizes the composition of José Vívenes’ works.

We look forward to welcoming you. 

Please find attached the curatorial text and exhibition catalogue. 

VE CONTEMP 

+491718438446 (Whatsapp) 

+34658163656 

E-Mail: management@ve-contemp.org