Pablo Garcia-Lopez

“[Plato] raised the idea that memory might be analogous to a wax tablet into which our perceptions and thoughts stamp images of themselves as a signet ring stamps impressions in wax. I envisioned the bass relief as a symbol of culture and memory, not just as a cultural memory but as a physical cellular.”

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About the Artist:

Pablo Garcia (he/him) creates experimental videos and sculptures made from natural silk that use symbol, light and form to explore Neuroscience, religion, mental health, culture, Nature vs. Nurture, education, sci-fiction, Neurotechnologies and Ethics in scientific research. As a PhD in Neurocience, his use of silk I pays homage to the “the father of modern Neuroscience,” Ramon y Cajal, who discovered neurons and neuroplasticity, and referred to neurons as the "butterflies of the soul". Silk is created through the process of metamorphosis. As a material, it is also organic, alluding to human hair, neuroplasticity and human transformation.

Garcia-Lopez has created a process of silk casting that he uses to cast small figurines (angels, saints, hyenas, wolves, lizards, etc.) and ornamental motifs that contain neuronal elements (brains, spinal cord, thalamus, hippocampus, etc.). These forms are combined to create Baroque-like relief sculptures that are reminiscent of religious and scientific societies. Braids, helixes, knots art, macramé ornamentation are incorporated into the rich surface of the work, adding texture and density to work that is rooted in science and art history. 

 

More about the Artist:

Garcia-Lopez was born in Madrid in 1977. In Madrid, he got his Bachelor’s Degree in Biochemistry from Autonoma University, and his PhD in Neuroscience from Complutense University. Later, he received an MFA from MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art). As a Neuroscientist, he published numerous scientific papers in international journals. His work has been shown widely nationally and internationally. His artwork has been published in the Sculpture magazine, Art for Progress, The raincoat society, etc. He is also the recipient of the following residencies, grants and awards: 4 Heads Governors Island residency, Guttenberg arts residency grant, Sculpture Space residency grant, Franconia Sculpture Park, Brooklyn Art space residency, Scinema Award Australia, Jerome Foundation fellowship, Caixa Galicia fellowship, Ramon Areces Fellowship).


Artist quote from Art Speil interview with Etty Yaniv, 2020

Artist Information

Residency Dates Apr 19 — Sep 8 2023

Currently Based NY, USA

Hometown Madrid, Spain

Artist’s Website www.pablogarcialopez.com

Partners Windgate Foundation