Local Colour is a Foreign Invention
2020 – present
Pigmented inks prints on Hahnemühle paper.
Dimensions variable.
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In this series, I explore Borges’ idea that “Local colour is a foreign
invention” by examining how Western artists have depicted the sky from
the 17th century to today. Painted skies, treated as color samples, are
organized by the Pantone scale, including details on the artist, date,
and title. This approach connects different artists and eras, addressing
themes like identity, colonialism, and the environment. The series
studies local colors from various regions, highlighting shared climatic
and cultural similarities.
More Info
Painting and geography. In this series, I depart from the well-known phrase of the writer Jorge Luis Borges Local colour is a foreign invention to question whether it is possible to find out the local colour of certain specific geographical areas.
For this, I have looked at how Western artists from different eras have depicted the sky in painting, from XVIIth century to the present. These fragments of painted skies, collected from museums’ websites, are treated as colour samples that are, then, organised chromatically following the Pantone scale in the form of a grid. The information of the name of the author of the painting, the date of its execution and the title are also indicated, generating jumps in time that connect the experience of artists from different origins and generations in front of a landscape.
Addressing themes like identity, colonialism, trade, nationalism, globalisation and the environment, I seek to transcend political boundaries and highlight similarities in the human experience connected to specific landscapes and climates.
Painting and geography. In this series, I depart from the well-known phrase of the writer Jorge Luis Borges Local colour is a foreign invention to question whether it is possible to find out the local colour of certain specific geographical areas.
For this, I have looked at how Western artists from different eras have depicted the sky in painting, from XVIIth century to the present. These fragments of painted skies, collected from museums’ websites, are treated as colour samples that are, then, organised chromatically following the Pantone scale in the form of a grid. The information of the name of the author of the painting, the date of its execution and the title are also indicated, generating jumps in time that connect the experience of artists from different origins and generations in front of a landscape.
Addressing themes like identity, colonialism, trade, nationalism, globalisation and the environment, I seek to transcend political boundaries and highlight similarities in the human experience connected to specific landscapes and climates.
Credits
General installation views and details of the exhibition Tierra Siena, azul de Delft, bermellón de China, The Goma (Madrid, 2020).
Images: Roberto Ruiz.
Local Colour is a Foreign Invention (British Islands) (2020). 134 x 149 cm.
General installation views and details of the exhibition El color local es un invento extranjero, Festival PHotoESPAÑA 2024. Sala de exposiciones ‘Las Francesas’ (Valladolid, 2024).
Images: Víctor Hugo Martín Caballero.
Local Colour is a Foreign Invention (Paris) (2020). 127,5 x 124,5 cm.
Local Colour is a Foreign Invention (Madrid) (2020). 107 x 137 cm.
Local Colour is a Foreign Invention (The Netherlands/ Belgium) (2020). 126,5 x 149 cm.
General installation views and details of the exhibition Tierra Siena, azul de Delft, bermellón de China, The Goma (Madrid, 2020).
Images: Roberto Ruiz.
Local Colour is a Foreign Invention (British Islands) (2020). 134 x 149 cm.
General installation views and details of the exhibition El color local es un invento extranjero, Festival PHotoESPAÑA 2024. Sala de exposiciones ‘Las Francesas’ (Valladolid, 2024).
Images: Víctor Hugo Martín Caballero.
Local Colour is a Foreign Invention (Paris) (2020). 127,5 x 124,5 cm.
Local Colour is a Foreign Invention (Madrid) (2020). 107 x 137 cm.
Local Colour is a Foreign Invention (The Netherlands/ Belgium) (2020). 126,5 x 149 cm.