At Stella Rouskova Gallery in Genoa, Mexican artist Oscar I. Contreras Rojas presents his solo exhibition “Antes de oler el día”, in which he exhibits his canvases with references to 19th-Century art within a contemporary context but in a “white cube” exhibition space. The title of the exhibition translated into English would Before smelling the day and it is inspired by an excerpt from the poem “Los Amantes” by the French-Argentine poet Julio Cortázar, in which the separation between two people at dawn is depicted as poignant and the morning becomes the symbol of a farewell; the everyday brings them back to reality, waiting for the next night’s return, who knows if it will happen, but in the meantime, before smelling the day, it already becomes melancholy.
Oscar I. Contreras Rojas, “Antes de oler el día “, exhibition view, Stella Rouskova Gallery, Genova, 2024. Ph. Francesco Arena, courtesy the artist and Stella Rouskova Gallery
Even before we get into the heart of the exhibition, we glimpse, through the stained-glass window, “Polittico”, 2022, a screen painted in oil on the front and with an engraving on the back. It is precisely this element that, recalling a familiar environment, makes us curious and invites us to enter, immediately introducing us to the artist’s intimate and secret world. The choice of this element is not random: it represents a symbolic condition of separation or transition, as it divides the space and can hide or reveal what lies behind it. It is the connecting thread between outside and inside, between the viewer and the artist and between the two protagonists of the poem that inspired Oscar. “Polittico” immediately allows us to get to know his style, the colours and subjects depicted, which we will see again in oil on canvas throughout the gallery: skies, clouds, natural elements that come together to create human figures, but also spiritual, almost angelic ones.
Oscar I. Contreras Rojas, “Antes de oler el día “, exhibition view, Stella Rouskova Gallery, Genova, 2024. Ph. Francesco Arena, courtesy the artist and Stella Rouskova Gallery
In Oscar’s paintings, the call of the Orient and the ethereal, vaporous colours by William Turner emerge. What sets him apart, however, is certainly his great personality, which conveys a dreamy, romantic atmosphere. Although swirls and flashes with strong strokes are the prominent elements, the ancestral union of earth and sky makes his works almost unsupported, boundless towards an unreachable elsewhere. On the left wall of the room we find the first two canvases: “Cloud Trap” and “Alla portata del salto”, both from 2024. Capturing the tones and shades of blue with bold brushstrokes, the artist gives the works a vibrant, gestural personality. This enigmatic mix of colour conceptually emphasises the power and passion of the two lovers as they immerse themselves in the atmosphere of a night.
Oscar I. Contreras Rojas, “Antes de oler el día “, exhibition view, Stella Rouskova Gallery, Genova, 2024. Ph. Francesco Arena, courtesy the artist and Stella Rouskova Gallery
Moving on, we find the canvas that takes up the name of the exhibition, “Antes de oler el día”, 2024. Here, hues of turquoise and light blue are contrasted by warm yellow tones in the upper part, a glow from the sky silhouetted against the surface of the earth, depicting exactly a sunrise that is about to arrive. Another canvas, entitled “Alba”, 2019, juxtaposes perfectly with the previous one, dominating the entire exhibition space thanks to its frontal position in relation to the entrance. In this piece, the celestial sphere meets nature, elements such as leaves and branches rise upwards, almost as if inventing a new universe: leaves become seaweed, the sky becomes water, and an underwater world re-emerges in an angelic atmosphere, given by the mixture of brushstrokes with the flavour of rebirth, dawn precisely, and, in parts, of ancestral creatures.
Oscar I. Contreras Rojas, “Antes de oler el día “, exhibition view, Stella Rouskova Gallery, Genova, 2024. Ph. Francesco Arena, courtesy the artist and Stella Rouskova Gallery
Continuing the visit, medium and large canvases in shades of blue and pink alternate: “Winter sky”, “L’Eden”, “Uno stesso cuscino e uno stesso tepore” and “La sveglia blu”. The titles of these works once again tell everything about love: a winter sky, a heavenly space, an intimate place and a morning that lovers never wish would come. On the walls we also find some small-format pieces that, like immature clouds, alternate with the serene, giving the exhibition a strong aesthetic and dynamic feel. Proceeding inside the gallery, we find ourselves in front of an installation composed of transparent nylon threads that descend from above to the floor, intertwined and embraced by other wool threads; these, visually mingling among the brushstrokes of the works in the background, seem immaterial indigo, yellow and ochre notes, painted in the air. It is in this way that the desiring ones trace and leave their memories in the night, suspended, with the fear that the dreams will dissolve.
Oscar I. Contreras Rojas, “Antes de oler el día “, exhibition view, Stella Rouskova Gallery, Genova, 2024. Ph. Francesco Arena, courtesy the artist and Stella Rouskova Gallery
Through his interpretation, Oscar captures the essence of Julio Cortázar’s poetry, transforming emotions and feelings into colours and shapes on canvas. The works manifest an atmosphere of suspension and uncertainty, similar to the pauses in the poem, where time seems to stand still for the two lovers. The use of colours, shapes and brushstrokes now reflects the delicate balance between hope and fear, love and uncertainty. The protagonists are immersed in a world of symbols and meanings, where reality merges with imagination. Through this vision, Oscar I. Contreras Rojas invites the viewers to explore the boundaries of love and life itself, raising questions about the nature of existence and the fleetingness of time, without ever losing sight of what is at the core of his work: desire and melancholy.
Benedetta Spagnuolo
Info:
Oscar I. Contreras Rojas, Antes de oler el día
06/04/2024 – 26/05/2024
Stella Rouskova Gallery
Vico di San Matteo 12, 16123 Genova
She graduated at the Academy of Fine Arts in Catania. During her lifetime, she has experienced various arts including sculpture, theatre, dance and photography, and the latter one became the springboard for her eclectic and innovative artistic path. In 2010, she approached the art curatorial world and started to write reviews and critical texts; later, she founded “Artisti Italiani – arti visive e promozione”, an organisation which deals with all the promotional aspects of contemporary art.
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