CLAUDIA VALSELLS

“Mira’m, no deixis de mirar-me” [“Look at Me, Don’t Stop Looking at Me”] invites us to explore the work and career of Claudia Valsells, where color is both a physical substance and an intangible emotion. Throughout a life devoted to researching and experimenting with color and the creation of her own palette, the artist has created a language to channel her experience and perception of the world. In her work, color goes beyond aesthetics to become a meaningful, almost linguistic, element.

For the artist, materializing a color is a complex process in three acts: first, she envisions it; then, she creates it through a unique combination of pigments; and finally, she applies it to the canvas, where it engages in dialogue with other colors. Valsells builds on technical knowledge but also surrenders to intuition, finding in painting a space of refuge and communication—both with herself and with the viewer. Each piece, each chromatic interaction, emerges from a delicate interplay of prior knowledge, instinct, and the artist’s lived experience.

The exhibition brings together, for the first time, the series What’s Color?, Color Dialogues, The Joy of Painting, Transitions, and her most recent work, Mapa, in which Valsells explores chromatic juxtaposition with a newfound maturity. This collection of works showcases the evolution of her practice while highlighting the importance of the viewer’s gaze in art. The title, ”Mira’m, no deixis de mirar-me”, refers, on one hand, to the act of exposing oneself to public recognition and, on the other, to the essential need to open up to others, not only in the artistic context but in all aspects of life.

The concepts of the eye and the gaze have often been understood as symbols of otherness. In this sense, Sartre asserted that it is through the gaze of others that we recognize ourselves. This dimension of the other is what constitutes and defines us, allowing us to exist as subjects. According to the French philosopher, it is also what humanizes us and, therefore, enables communication. Daily experiences and interactions with others shape multiple identities: we are not made of a single piece.

Valsells’ work becomes a space for connection, where the viewer and the artwork meet through the experience of color. In this exchange, the work finds meaning, and we, as viewers, also uncover something about ourselves. ”Mira’m, no deixis de mirar-me” is an open invitation to this silent dialogue, where color becomes a language, speaking to us about who we are, about others, and about the artist’s own journey.