LUIS VIDAL

noun [ C ] a hole in the ground dug by an animal such as a rabbit, especially to live in

Syn.:hole , shelter , tunnel , den , lair , retreat.

Luis Vidal defines himself as perpetually self-taught. His curriculum extends several pages, and hiswork is part of collections around the world. However, Luis insists that what keeps him alive is theconstant search for his own language, despite being a key figure in the art scene. As if he had justbegun and never finished, this idea of `work in progress’ has disturbed and inspired him equally sincehis first ingression into the art world. And it was in this constant search for personal calligraphy thatceramics appeared.

Unlike his first solo show with Alzueta Gallery in December 2022, where he presented his work inceramics for the first time, the artist now exhibits a more dynamic, seasoned project, at AlzuetaGallery Madrid: MADRIGUERAS (BURROWS). Here, he demonstrates an evolution in his comprehensionof art and his role in it.

Although he admits to not being a consistent person, being an artist gives him the opportunity tocontinue exploring the same theme in different expressions. Luis now perceives and presents his artwith greater maturity and awareness of his creative process, allowing the work itself to guide himalmost blindly, like an orchestra conductor, situated between creator and audience, ordering by thegesture of a baton what to do and what not to do.

Vidal amalgamates his work by presenting seven sculptures and several drawings that revolve aroundthe same concept: burrows. Through both the continent and its contents, the artist generates a changeof script by turning the former into an element as important as its inhabitant. This exercise diverts thegaze inevitably placed on the rabbit, a protagonist we already know from the artist’s bestiary, to theplace where it dwells, laid bare. It is in this change of focus that Luis arouses curiosity in the viewerabout the narrative of the scene, reflecting a duality between home and prison, protection and horror,hermeticism and intimacy—a double meaning in constant contrast.

Through his works on paper, Luis takes us beyond the mere sculptural piece, evolving and growinghis work without restraint, fleeing from the restrictive element that comes with purpose, blurring thelimits of conventional sculpture, and avoiding any limitation in his practice. He mentions, tongue-in-cheek, that he is not in favor of intellectualizing his work too much, comparing his work to hide-and-seek. For Luis, art should captivate and lead people in search of their own answers. On this occasion,however, under a single conceptual umbrella, it is to dig tunnels and let us wander through them.