"There is no beginning too small."

     In the 19th century, the well-known philosopher Henry David Thoreau explained the basic principle of human freedom in his essay Walden: to break free from society's chains by retreating into nature. Irene Cruz and Víctor Alba use their artwork to take us to the nearly mystic experience of meeting oneself (again). Nature is always the silent hero in their research – depicted in the countryside, in ponds, and with a gloomy light full of dreamy nuances – and it reminds us of an attempt to perpetuate any moment in our memory, slowly and reflexively analysed. Paradoxically, both Irene and Víctor provide us with a deeper moral: the end of things means the beginning of new things, and moving forward in our lives will also bring them to an end. And walking towards the future might not mean evolution. Perhaps evolution means going back to where everything began, to its origin, and so understanding every detail of how everything happened.

Noemí Méndez

Cultural manager, critic & curator