Wall Khamekaye
The Wall Khamekaye series extends the body of work initiated in Senegal, drawing upon the Khamekayes—large coastal landmarks that signal the location of villages lying further inland. Constructed from materials cast ashore by the sea, these structures begin with a framework of trunks, branches, and rhizomes, from which new forms emerge. Plastics, fishing nets, containers, and other fragments are incorporated into compositions that oscillate between abstraction and figuration. The sea is the true protagonist in the production of these new objects. It returns what it refuses to keep, having subjected it to an aleatory process of transformation through the continuous action of waves, currents, and tides. Within this perpetual drift, all objects are brought into relation on equal terms, giving rise to unforeseen material configurations. They unravel, erode, fray, and decay, yet they also bind together, merge, and become integrated into new and compelling assemblages. Nothing is governed by control; rather, this is a process of perpetual becoming—an open-ended metamorphosis. Once they reach the shore, these fragments become found treasures, encountered rather than sought, severed from any certainty regarding their origin, material identity, or previous function. Stripped of utility, they nevertheless acquire an entirely new value. These transformed objects become the protagonists of the sculptures in this series. Recovered from the coastline, they are recontextualised through the artistic act and, in their new configurations, assume an aesthetic presence that did not previously exist. As Gilles Deleuze argues, to create is to resist, and to resist is itself to create. In this work, the creative act and the resistance embodied by the materials themselves converge, becoming inseparable within the artwork.
La serie Wall Khamekaye es una continuación del trabajo desarrollado en Senegal donde se representan los Khamekayes (grandes hitos situados en la costa para marcar el lugar donde, hacia el interior, se encuentran los poblados). Estas estructuras están construidas con elementos devueltos por el mar. La base se establece con troncos, ramas y rizomas. A partir de ahí se generan nuevas formas, más figurativas o abstractas, con plásticos, redes de pesca, envases, etc. El mar es protagonista en la generación de nuevos objetos. Nos devuelve lo que no quiere después de mezclarlo aleatoriamente través de su movimiento, del oleaje, de las mareas. En ese deambular, los objetos se entremezclan todos al mismo nivel para configurar nuevas materialidades. Los elementos se deshacen, se deshilachan, se descomponen, pero también se unen, se integran, dando lugar a nuevos objetos fascinantes. No hay control, es un devenir incierto, una metamorfosis sin final. En la orilla se convierten en tesoros encontrados sin buscar, sin conocer su origen, su naturaleza, sin uso, pero con un valor inédito. Estos nuevos objetos son los protagonistas de las esculturas de esta serie. Traídos desde las costas, sirven ahora al acto artístico y en su nueva composición, se convierten en estéticos. Para Deleuze el acto de crear es resistir y resistir es crear. De este modo, el acto creativo y la resistencia de los materiales se unifican en la obra de arte.