Jan 2022 — Feb 2022
New Hope
August Vilella
We can envision Augusto Vilella’s intuitive painting process as a form of artistic meditation. Although he holds a paintbrush, there is no way to predict the imagery that will emerge on his canvas. His surreal dreamlike world only manifests when he is in a trance-like and calm state of creative flow. Once in this subconscious state, Vilella can connect his emotionally charged eyes with the characters he shapes, creating a resonance that brings them together. So, gazing at these characters—even for just a brief minute—can make one feel as if they are sincerely extending a small hand, inviting the viewer to join them in a profound exploration of philosophical beauty.
By deliberately removing his conscious awareness and thoughts from the painting process, he allows himself to create on the canvas with great ease. He is not what we would call a “symbol hunter,” creating visual allegories by combining different images. The symbolic hunting prevalent in works by Rauschenberg and Rauch is often mocked and criticized. Instead, Vilella delves into the primordial soup of Jungian theory, discovering the accidental methods employed by Duchamp and Cage in their artistic practices. Chance has a way of setting aside our imperfect intentions and desires, allowing us to expand ourselves and explore possibilities that were previously unimaginable. A person with religious beliefs might say we open our hearts to God, while others may say we open our hearts to our own subconscious. This is also what Vilella believes in.
Exhibition Details
- Dates
- Jan 15, 2022 — Feb 7, 2022
- Curated by
- Caelis Galería
- Location
- Shanghai, China
Exhibition Views
Installation view
Installation view
Installation view
Installation view
About the Artist
August Vilella
Intuitive Surrealism
August Vilella is an artist from Barcelona based in Tokyo. His artworks have been exhibited around the world in cities such as Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Paris, Shanghai, Dubai, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Taipei, Oxford, Shenzhen, San Francisco, Rotterdam... etc. In 2016 he was the winner for The Best Artist at the Tokyo International Art Fair and in 2017 winner for the Best Innovative Art at The Global Art Awards of Dubai (UAE). In 2018 he won the "International Artist Grand Prize" of Taipei and the "Chairman's Award" in the Art Revolution Taipei where his work has been chosen as the best among 4,546 candidates.
He creates oil paintings by means of a surreal-intuitive method. Thanks to this process, he tries to give shape to his subconscious mind without using any previous sketches or ideas. The result of this practice evokes a dreamlike aura and a magical, metaphoric, and even philosophical language, which invites the observing visitor to reflect.
