Exhibition Images

Click on the images for full view

Beneath the stones

by Julia R. Gallego

History of a body

It all started with a white lightning bolt that caused a wound. From there, the skin opened along the surface of the organism right in the middle, on the border where the left meets the right. The gap opened along its body, symmetrically dividing pairs of limbs and organs, peeling off a layer of already dry and useless skin in its path, like peeling a ripe fruit and like snakes shed their skin. In the place of the wound, a scar remained, and a new and rejuvenated dermis covered it and separated it from the world. Thin, almost translucent, much more sensitive and receptive. Small filaments, like the eyes of a snail or the tentacles of an anemone, extended outward to probe their surroundings. Extensions of self, sensitive organs to see, touch, hear, smell and taste. Her new skin was like a flower with delicate petals swaying by the current, open, expectant, curious to discover the beauty of the world. 

Membrane

Both in the sea and inside. It coexisted within an ecosystem of cells and microorganisms in continuous movement. Both within herself and outside, change operated, the flow of becoming maintained a balance where all parts worked in unison. The membrane that separated her from the world was porous and flexible. And it was full of holes through which everything poured in and through which it overflowed and came out. The pores that pierced her entire skin sweated in the heat, her hair stood on end in the cold. The holes in her ears allowed the sound to penetrate to her bones and the holes in her nostrils flooded irremediably.

An imaginary line delimited her body; in reality she was part of the whole. Her territoriality, the division between herself and the other, was fictitious. The perimeter that delimited its being was merely decorative.

Everything passed through her. On stormy days when the sea was rough, her organs echoed and thunder rumbled in her gut. The waves made it vibrate, like when a stone is thrown into a calm pond and the waves reverberate expansively. All of it pulsed at the same rhythm as her outside.

Thirst

A deep desire to connect with the cosmos, an incessant search makes her body extend, it stretches trying to reach beyond its limits, to encompass as much as possible, to embrace its surroundings. Its body opens, branches emerge like taste buds eager to touch and play as if they were puppies. She approaches everything she finds. She prepares to meet the others, she tests the terrain, the unknown calls her.

A memory

The summers of a girl on the beach savoring the heat of the sun and the salt of the sea on her skin. Time frozen in happiness, I spent hours and hours walking along the edge where the water meets the sand and deposits wet, shiny treasures. Collecting carefully selected shells and stones for her extensive private collection. Then the water called her and she immersed herself in a dream, the sea embraced her and completely enveloped her in its delicious coldness. She left the sun behind and dived, there was nothing better in the world than going into the depths. She continued her search for treasures out to sea, extending her hands until she touched the bottom. Each stone was waiting for her, and it was impossible to guess what surprises they hid. She chose one and lifted it, the sand moved and until she landed again her eyes could not clearly see the hidden face of the stone, and its bed in the sand. Sometimes she found nothing of interest, but other times all kinds of creatures appeared, desperately crawling around looking for shelter to hide again. Lifting stones was her favorite game, there was always one more stone to lift, a new organism to discover.

Images of the opening

Click on the images for full view