ARYZ

His work

Us against Ourselves

Aryz (California, USA, 1988)
2018, Cardedeu
Oil on canvas, 155 x 190 cm.

This work is presented provisionally. The piece that will occupy this space, titled The Collector, by the same artist, is currently on loan to another exhibition and will be installed once that show ends. Us against Ourselves is part of the series Pugna and places conflict in a recognisable setting: the constant tension in which we live. Rather than pointing to an external enemy, the work turns the gaze towards ourselves, highlighting how we often find ourselves at odds over interests that are not really ours, but which we adopt and defend as if they were. In this way, the piece sets out this tension in which we are both the subject and the setting of the conflict. It is part of a series presented in three stages in France and concluded at the Museum of Fine Arts of Nancy with the publication Pugna (2020), and explores body movement and the dynamics of struggle and abuse of power.

The perspective it brings to the collection:

Aryz's inclusion in the collection is justified by the singularity of his pictorial language, which combines expressive figuration, monumental compositions and a gestural treatment of painting. His style combines vigorous brushstrokes with meticulous details, creating a balance between visual intensity and symbolic narration. At the same time, the content of his work addresses social, cultural and emotional issues, exploring the relationship between the individual, the urban environment and the dynamics of the contemporary world. In this way, Aryz brings a distinctive and relevant voice to contemporary painting.