1988-1996
This piece of work was inspired by the poem of Octavio Paz Two Bodies and by a childhood memory regarding the reflection of tree branches on the surface of a round container full of still water. It implements elements of alchemy –the representation of the male and the female forces in nature and their harmonious unification, known as hieros gamos (holy wedding)– that merge with tree patterns in order to appear either as part of the branches or of the roots, functioning as the link that connects everything in life. Such alchemical representations must also allude to the very essence of our humanity: the human being is much like the alembic the alchemists used: it can either refine the elements it contains into gold or distort them into something lesser.
The final stake and the ultimate question are: can the opposites unite in the life and work of a human being as freely as they do in nature? And if yes, how?