This exhibition marks the artist's first solo show in Hong Kong, showcasing a series of new paintings that feature his signature big eyed characters, guiding the audience to dive deep into their subconscious through their reflective gazes.
Working under the Surrealist automatism method, like his innovative predecessors, Vilella creates his paintings without any previous sketches or ideas. Instead, each work is painted from his subconscious mind as he accesses his material. From this process, he created his big eyed characters, who are spirits that came to his mind, introducing their dream-like world to the audience. In the artist's own words, "I don't choose my characters... in some way they choose me."
Vilella's style and technique poses an interesting juxtaposition with his creating method. He employs fine brushstrokes and applies multiple thin layers of oil paint and varnish onto his canvases. He also plays with light and shadows, producing a heightened dramatic effect, vitality and exuberance in his paintings. Completed with his original gold frames, his works recall the ones of the old masters, displaying a flamboyant and vivid picture for the audience.
The contrast of his creative method and oeuvre can be seen throughout the presented series. In The Carp (2021), Vilella depicted a scene of a big eyes character riding a gigantic carp reaching over a Sakura tree. Set in a very high-contrast and dramatic atmosphere, the image is poetic and emotionally charged, inviting the audience to ponder and reflect on the seemingly direct subject.
Haunting in their extraordinary and distinctive imagery, the presented works exemplify Vilella's ability to evince uncanny and stylized forms through precise explorations of color and shadow, transporting the audience to an ultra-reality within themselves.
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