Light and color phenomena have produced a fascination amongst humans dating back to immemorial times, occupying an anomalous space made of complementary opposites: where the ascetic meets the sensualist. Physicists, chemists, philosophers, color theorists, historians, psychologists, mystics, and artists have explored the various dimensions of color from their respective fields: symbolism; the sociopolitical history embedded in color’s usage; the emotional effects that color arouses; and the perceptual phenomena that show us that color cannot be spoken of in absolutes—only as subjective experiences of exposure to specific wavelengths.

This exhibition combines and contrasts the work of three artists who approach color as both light and matter, as both divine and earthly, and who explore the inseparable bond of color, light, and space as a triad. To accomplish this, they turn to an essentialist reduction of geometry, connect the abstract with spiritual universals untethered from creeds, and take on the role of creators as catalysts capable of transcending the mundane. Without succumbing to the stereotypical image of the artist as a magical figure, each of these three—through the lens of their unique temperament—maintain a spiritual connection that is both intellectual and poetic, as Kandinsky would describe it.

The works of Víctor González appear as a gateway to an auratic space of chromatic gradations that transcend the immediacy of the everyday and could be either astrological or microscopic. His gentle geometries rest between the abstract and the referential, merging the intuitive and spontaneous with the analytical; the subconscious and procedural with the deconstruction of color systems, form, and perspective that define the language of painting. González embraces the discipline of craft, executing with dedication and exploring the metaphysical mysteries of the pictorial plane, which involve both material and poetic aspects. His paintings suggest architectural spaces—or details thereof—that could belong to a public square or to the contemplative solitude of cells or sacred temple-like spaces. Though not a believer or adherent of any creed, González draws on the symbols and archetypes of Catholicism that shaped his childhood, exploring with curiosity the connections between the tangible and intangible and the totemic qualities of art; though in the end, as he states, it is the painting that asserts its will and transcends any interpretation.

José María de Aurora approaches painting with a desire to capture the mysterious, elusive, and impermanent nature of the gesture on a canvas. His paintings are strong snapshots, capturing subtle movements frozen in the medium. His work embodies a blend of ritual, meditation, and asceticism, but also intention. De Aurora identifies with duality, with the inevitable interconnectedness of opposites, and his paintings manifest this interplay between deliberate abstract images and intuitive organic forms, where the accident of performance shows existence as a succession of processes. With simplicity of means, he brings forth great sensuality in his technique and an exquisite use of color, a skill informed by his background in textile creation and his interest in pigment history. With tactile and sculptural qualities, the paint masses in his works exceed the canvas's two-dimensionality, responding to subtle changes in light and forming sinuous, molded lines.

At first glance, Francisco Muñoz's work reveals the influence of graphic communication and early avant-garde art’s visual language, with their solid colors and saturated hues, on the artist. The striking geometries and delicate color palettes give his paintings and sculptures magnetic decorative and poetic qualities. Yet observing his use of shapes, materials, and techniques offer a clue about the strong sense of identity pulsing through his work. Muñoz explores the cultural heritage of Mesoamerican pre-Hispanic traditions with admiration and draws inspiration from traditional Japanese art. His exploration of the past invites us to uncover the conventions and cultural constructs that sustain the Western art canon which—as part of colonial processes—paint a linear and exclusive portrait that relegates other forms of expression to inferior categories. His latest works—part flag, part noren curtains—address the relationship between support and surface, expand painting into architecture, and disrupt the space, traversed by light and movement, imparting symbolic values to the gallery around the sacred and the profane.

The exhibition, as a whole, offers us an open narrative on chromatic spectrums and luminous sensations, creating a space of possibilities where we can pause and delight in the intuitive joy of beauty. **Arquitecturas Intangibles** shows us that the timeless question of the intangible, especially now in times of mandatory productivity and functionality, takes on a transformative dimension.

Text by Maite Muñoz Iglesias
Curator and Researcher based in Los Angeles.