Paulo Medina

The Construction of a Life in

RETROSPECT

The concept of desert comes from the Latin desertus, meaning unpopulated, lonely, or uninhabited. Although defined by its hostility and aridity, it has represented a protective and spiritual space since ancient times. One need only explore its majesty throughout the vast state to find singular beauty and, of course, recognize the diversity it contains, from the vast grasslands adorned with the unique golden hue that illuminates them, to the vast mountain ranges with their unique nuances. The tranquil and ecstatic sensation of admiring beauty in the incomprehensible and often despised has inspired humankind to create, from their own perspective, the very essence of the sublime task of admiration.

Artistic production is born from context, and Paulo Medina is a faithful communicator of this. The striking desert, dazzling and full of life, has inspired this artist's work for forty years. His proposals capture the subjectivity of things and present them in a didactic and subtle way. He captures the essential forms of visual language and proposes looking beyond reality. This task involves using imagination and understanding beyond what logic delivers, in order to admire and appreciate the work. The desert metaphor in visual art leads to spirituality in art; it is the attitude one has toward creation; contemplation that leads to abandonment, concentrating the senses, generating an internal dialogue from silence and solitude.

Paulo Medina's "The Construction of a Life in Retrospect" is an open window into a life's journey, a testament to the adventures, pains, and daily rituals presented to us by the artist. This journey began in 1983, when he clearly had a desire to create, to make a proposal based on his context, training, and creativity, a prevailing aspect of his work: the deconstruction of reality presented as a redefined abstraction, nuanced with intense yellows and dark shades that reveal the human being. His visual language, which ranges from collage, photography, easel work, and digital art, is the perfect pretext for interiority, constant searching, and transcendence. I invite you to enjoy this exhibition, which, thanks to a combined effort, is presented here at the great and prestigious Chihuahuan Desert Museum.

David Martínez M.