Released: RECORDS, the 13 digital notebooks containing annotations from an artistic residency
“From September 21, 2016, to January 15, 2017, I undertook an extended artistic residency abroad in Xinjiang (China), Mongolia, and Buryatia (Russia). This marked the first phase of my painting project titled RECORDS, a project that begins with the journey itself.
I traveled to study open landscapes where the physical elements of nature express themselves with clarity and force—without barriers diminishing their impact; vast, arid territories that appear empty; places of extraordinary beauty, but a beauty that is raw, naked, and unadorned, with nothing softening it.
As with other editions, throughout the journey I drew, wrote, and photographed. I recorded the essential qualities of each circumstance and landscape.
The 13 digital notebooks—entitled RECORDS—were published during the trip and serve as a digital summary of my notes. This is a work in progress, a direct and immediate approach; a reflection of what resonates with me at each moment, both professionally and personally.
RECORDS 1 serves as an introduction to the project. Issues 2 through 7 focus on themes from Xinjiang, a province in northern China. Issues 8 through 12 document Mongolia, and issue 13 completes the series in Russia.
The journey lasted four months, during which circumstances changed. Editing and publishing the RECORDS in digital format was sometimes very challenging—but this material is essential for the second phase of the project, conducted in the studio.
The trip was funded with the prize I received from the XVI Painting Award of the University of Murcia (2015). The painting that received the award stems from my previous project, also based on a residency in China.
SENNELIER generously provided the materials needed to carry out the artistic work during the residency; they believed in the project and were extremely supportive.”
