Exhibition: “Pulso almado, voz lignaria” – Marcelo Díaz
The artist introduces his work as follows:
Foundations of My Work
My work, my artistic expression, is built upon two foundations that I felt from my earliest years, around the age of ten. From there, I have been discovering and shaping them through work and introspection.
First, there is feeling — the idea that is born from emotion and from encountering something that goes beyond gesture, matter or form.
It is, without doubt, the poetry that exists and that I find in what happens within me, within us, and within society.
That is the force from which expression begins. I believe that, before anything else, it is poetry that appears, and then the poem and the sculpture emerge.
All my sculptures have a poem of the same name. In this way, sculpture and poem form a single expressive unity.
Materials and Technique
Secondly, it is the material that allows me a fuller and richer expression. Although I use other materials — concrete, stoneware, iron, bronze, glass — wood is fundamental in my work. I use its lignary qualities (colour, grain, knots, cuts, angles, positioning, etc.) as expressive elements that introduce variations in texture and character, especially when several different woods appear together in one piece. At present, I work with more than 80 different types of wood.
Thus, wood ceases to be a material that is simply shaped, painted, gilded or lacquered. Instead, it becomes a material that, in a natural way, expresses more — enhancing the conceptual content.
While I do not claim to know everything that is being created, I have visited several countries where wood is commonly used in symposia and artistic gatherings. I have not seen this particular use of its lignary qualities. For this reason, I define my technique as constructive carving: the elements or parts that make up a piece are carved separately beforehand, and then the complete work is constructed from them. It combines the traditional idea of carving — removing what is superfluous — with the process of assembling the carved parts. The key lies in harmonising and bringing different woods together according to their lignary qualities.
Other Considerations
The exhibition will offer various sensory and participatory experiences.
The first is the opportunity to take printed copies of the poems corresponding to the sculptures that have them available — almost all of them — displayed in their labelled boxes.
Another is the possibility of touching and gently caressing certain sculptures, where indicated. With care, it is a pleasant experience.
There will also be a kind of “table of scents”, featuring different woods with their names and sawdust (which does not stain), allowing visitors to smell them if they wish.
There will be a LIGNARIÓN, a kind of xylophone — not tuned to a scale — made from the same woods used in the sculptures, which may be gently struck.
In addition, there will be a selection of books and catalogues available for careful consultation.
These experiences, along with others that will take place only as part of a guided participatory tour in my presence, will be announced.
📍 EC El Convento (Viver)
📅 27 March – 25 April
🎉 Opening: 27 March at 7pm
🕒 Opening hours:
Wednesday to Sunday, 10am – 2pm
Fridays and Saturdays also 5pm – 8pm
Closed on the last Sunday of the month
An exhibition to look at, touch, smell and experience wood as never before.