I’m Not Sure What I’ve Just Seen
Some thoughts after wandering through a Martin Kacmarek exhibit at the Tuesday to Friday gallery in Valencia, Spain.
Martin Kacmarek’s show left me feeling a tad lost. I was thrust into this liminal space, where images seemed to dodge easy explanations or neat boxes. It felt like I stumbled upon a visual enigma — a sudden pause, a hiccup.
I honestly wasn’t sure of what lay before me. The expansive canvases, dressed in stark industrial fabrics and set on delicate frames, felt like silent sentinels holding deep, tangled tales. The raw blend of techniques, the dance of airbrush, mists, and some oil touches here and there, especially with that dominant presence of black — it felt like an anchor. Like a desperate grasp at fleeting memories and moments.
These visuals, with their deep ties to local tales and the world of farming, felt like stolen moments in time: those quiet beats when machines stand still, and everything seems suspended. It’s like peeking into those brief gaps between hustle and rest.
The figures in these works, so raw and immense, seemed almost defiant, both to the canvas and the gallery itself. They demanded attention, almost bursting at the seams, representing more than just shapes — they carried with them feelings, tales, and moments. So large, so imposing, seemingly trapped, and echoing a dialogue about how we, as individuals, fit in the larger canvas of life.
Perhaps these pieces are Kacmarek’s nod to the beauty of regional stories. My mind also wandered to the tension between man and tech, and how Kacmarek might be shedding light on our battles in this age of machines. I also felt a subtle tug, a silent conversation about community and individual, about standing together and standing apart.
Later, when I stepped back and let the exhibit wash over me, that initial confusion transformed into something resembling admiration. Not because I felt I “got” every piece or could dissect every brushstroke, but because it struck a chord about art’s knack to stir, probe, and deepen our view of the world. Amidst this whirlwind of confusion, I felt a strange comfort — a silent nod to the beauty of embracing the unknown and letting it challenge you.
