“Ceci n´est pas” or “This is not” is the final group of works from the three part series, which began with Miguel Vallinas’ “Skins.” Nonetheless, it is shown as an open collection, capable of including the many images that surround human life. It is true that “Ceci n’est pas” is the logical extension of the previous bodies of work in which the artist deconstructs the human, beginning with reality and evolving towards surrealism. Compared to the previous collections, these photographs demonstrate a physical separation between the body and the head, which has been replaced by inanimate objects.

 

“Ceci n´est pas” intends to explore once again the concept of identity and personal choice. The objects shown are things that represent our thoughts, our determination, our wishes, or perhaps just things from daily life that we may take for granted. The title of the collection comes from the name of a work by the surrealist painter Rene Magritte, who intended to change the perception and expectations of the viewer by creating visual games or double meanings. 

 

The intention here is quite different, far from creating questions for the viewer with surrealist imagery, instead it tries to find answers, triggering thoughts on identity and acceptance. The focus is produced by the un-acceptance of that which we observe being something else – it is everything that is implicit in our existence and that that which is definitively ours is the result of our circumstances, our wins, our errors, and our decisions.

 

“This is not” invites us to reflect on what actually is, who we think we are, what others think of us, what we want to be, and what we truly are.

 

Second Skins is presented as a follow up of a former collection named Skins. It deals with two connected photography series that both include portraits of people who try to search for the internal side of being human, but from dealing with different aspects are willing to unveil the intimate self of a human being.  

 

The images that made up this series try to isolate the character: obviating its context and its references only based on being individual.While the name used as the collection title specifies the order in the series, in reality it is more than an answer to a sequence. It is word game. Second Skins suggests options, possibilities and ultimately choices.

 

Roots is the third of a photography series that follows up Skins: a previous reflection about identity, existence and individual choice. The photographs show bodies with seasonal plants and floral bouquets replacing human heads. The human body represents the stem, and the head represents the flora, while the hidden root is linked to the earth: the starting point and destination, the beginning and end of life.  The root is the base of our existence that conditions the direction of our path. The term root indicates belonging, bonding, base, and nourishment.  In the present collection there is an initial search for identity. It is added to the human context whether that is social, cultural, economic or kin. This concept is one of the quests that indirectly determines human choices and the search for the authentic self. 

 

Root is the third of four photographic series that reflect on the questions surrounding human choices to confront the real self, the self that could be myself, and the self that is definitely myself.