UnInhabited
Pulpi, ESP (2019)
About:
This was a painting in a place that I've wanted to create in since I first saw it last year and referencing a photo that I've wanted to use, but just didn't have that perfect place yet.
The setting is an old abandoned home along the Eastern Spanish coast. The area surrounding it is desolate and beautiful; mountains on one side and the sea on the other. The room I chose has a small window that looks out toward the sea with an arched ceiling. I found an old patio chair along a nearby path, and after bringing it to sit on in between painting sessions, I decided that I would use it to make the space an installation of sorts.
As for the subject, this is a culmination of a man from my home in Belgrade and some local Spanish factors. The man, I took a photo of last August when I saw him sitting on this lounge chair along the street near the tram stop. I don't know what he was doing with a chair like this on the street, or perhaps who he was waiting for, as I didn't get off at that stop. I did manage to snap his photo before the tram departed, and I've wanted to paint him somewhere ever since. This setting seemed perfect as the color of the chair reminded me of the sand used to build the house and his blue shirt and jeans were my representation of the sea. Like this house, he seemed forgotten and unnoticed (or just ignored) by everyone passing by and I honestly can't think of something more worthy of the space. Additionally, I've painted a small, dead lizard on the right-hand armrest of the chair. In the nearby finca where I spent my last month, these lizards are everywhere, inside and out, welcome and not. I found this dead one in the art studio, placed it outside on a rock, and within a day, it was gone, much like this man.
The setting is an old abandoned home along the Eastern Spanish coast. The area surrounding it is desolate and beautiful; mountains on one side and the sea on the other. The room I chose has a small window that looks out toward the sea with an arched ceiling. I found an old patio chair along a nearby path, and after bringing it to sit on in between painting sessions, I decided that I would use it to make the space an installation of sorts.
As for the subject, this is a culmination of a man from my home in Belgrade and some local Spanish factors. The man, I took a photo of last August when I saw him sitting on this lounge chair along the street near the tram stop. I don't know what he was doing with a chair like this on the street, or perhaps who he was waiting for, as I didn't get off at that stop. I did manage to snap his photo before the tram departed, and I've wanted to paint him somewhere ever since. This setting seemed perfect as the color of the chair reminded me of the sand used to build the house and his blue shirt and jeans were my representation of the sea. Like this house, he seemed forgotten and unnoticed (or just ignored) by everyone passing by and I honestly can't think of something more worthy of the space. Additionally, I've painted a small, dead lizard on the right-hand armrest of the chair. In the nearby finca where I spent my last month, these lizards are everywhere, inside and out, welcome and not. I found this dead one in the art studio, placed it outside on a rock, and within a day, it was gone, much like this man.
I've called the piece "UnInhabited" in reference to both the state of the house and to the question that comes to mind: Is a house ever truly uninhabited? Someone or something will always call it home regardless of the state & not being aware of their existence doesn't mean they aren't there.
Location: