Opening soon : Xavier Mascaró, Cultural Objects
Eternity Gallery is honored to present « Cultural Objects » a selection of iconic artworks by Xavier Mascaró, recognized as one of Spain’s leading contemporary sculptors.
Fascinated by the iconography of ancient civilizations, Xavier Mascaró traverses time and creates an archeology of the present invoking myths and universal beliefs. Combining poetic melancholy and the illusion of fragility, he manages to tell a story that resonates with all of us.
The specificity of Xavier Mascaró is to apprehend sculpture as a painting where light prevails, and depth is revealed by the work in the materials, by the balance between emptiness and fullness. The diversity of the chosen materials contributes to the impact generated by his works - the combination of ceramic and iron speak of the duality between fragility and strength, aluminum and mesh reflect light while bronze absorbs it, and all coexist in harmony.
The artist employs traditional materials that humanity has known since the Neolith and is thus part of a historic continuity. All along, iron rapidly imposes itself, not only because is the favorite material of the artist, but because it’s also his artistic signature. Evidently and in the words of Mascaró, iron is his “mother tongue.”
Self-taught, fascinated by technique, Mascaró integrates his reflection about materials and the creation process as an essential part of his work. Driven by his desire to innovate, he frees himself from the processes of industrial foundries which he learned at a very young age and adapts them to his on creations. Although made using the same molds, each work is unique because Mascaró lets himself be carried away by the fusion process, without planning the reactions produced on the material and maintaining a dialogue with it. He succeeds in creating a fortuitous, a kind of premeditated surprise inherent in the result of the sculptures. The casting of metals requires a long cooling time during which the pieces are surrounded by sand so that the artist must extract each piece from the ground, giving life to a concept of contemporary archeology which is dear to him.
Through « Cultural Objects », we feel the different sensibilities of the artist, his obsession with presence and absence, his inclination for the unfinished and the uncertain, his never satisfied inspiration from ancient cultures (Phoenician, Egyptian, Archaic Greek, Pre-Columbian, etc.) Xavier Mascaró pushes the limits of materials and excels in all formats, he shines as much by the strength and the majesty of his monumental works as by the softness and intimacy created in his smaller formats.
It seems that with each contemplation, a new reading of his artwork is offered to us.