The "burnt out" nature of both artists' work conveys a sense of urgency, and yet a dogged persistence of Canaria's natural environment, even while under pressure.
For the first installation of the One-to-One series, Galería ATC presents selected works by two Canarian artists, Nicolás Laiz Placeres (Lanzarote, 1975) and Juan Pedro Ayala (Tenerife, 1972-2019). In their works, both artists refer to elements of the Canarian landscape, each offering commentary on how human pressures can shape and undermine the projected image of the islands.
In Drago 1 (2006) by Juan Pedro Ayala, from the City Trees series, the artist presents the iconic dragon tree in several layers, removing and exposing parts, burning and piercing the paper in selected areas. Although the paper is wounded, the tree seems to resist. The dragon tree's leaves are released to become three-dimensional green whorls that appear delicate and sharp, playing in the wind.
With tar, souvenirs, plastic, Porexpan, resin, enamel, and wood, Nicolás Laiz Placeres creates a sculptural conglomerate of a visually ambiguous figure —while we see pieces of plant shapes, the eye and mind go to an imagined place. Titled Flora. Black Cactus (2015), we intuitively try to make sense of the union of its components: there is something botanical, but also petrified, extinct fauna, or hidden, for a long time, in tar pits.
The "burnt out" nature of both works conveys a sense of urgency, and yet a dogged persistence under pressure.
