Introduction

4

Introduction

by Caroline Jowett

Art is not about being famous. Art is about freedom, human freedom...

but to find freedom for others you must first free yourself. An artist must

follow his dreams and feelings and not what is trendy or topical. Art is

not a competition with other artists, it is not a race.

1

Pedro Paricio, June 2016

Many years ago, when I was starting out as a journalist, the

Just as Shaman was a leap forward in confidence and maturity

Dreams is the work of a more open, relaxed, Paricio ¨C a man

Booker-Prize-winning novelist Ben Okri told me something

from Diary of an Artist and Other Stories, so Dreams is both a

who is comfortable in his own skin. He is back in Tenerife

progression and departure from Shaman: and Paricio interprets

after two years living and working in London and has set up

said, those who mine a shallow stream of consciousness and

this theme widely. If in Shaman he was introspective, in Dreams

a new studio in the north of the island. Whereas before he

produce work that is instantly

he is outward looking. He has turned his mirror round, to train

painted in artificial light, he is now using natural light and

its gaze on us.

the windows, once closed, are wide open. Is it a clich¨¦ to say

I¡¯ve never forgotten.

There

are two kinds

gratifying

of writers,

he

and immediately

forgettable; and those whose writing emerges from the mulch

of a lifetime¡¯s experience to deliver something original and

that to enter an artist¡¯s studio, is to enter his mind? Not in this

profound. These, he said, are the great writers. And it applies

At a time of global uncertainty and mass migration, this new

case. Paricio¡¯s studio is an Aladdin¡¯s Cave of magazine articles,

equally to artists.

body of work is as much about our common humanity as it is

puppets, bric-¨¤-brac, found items, pictures, books and what he

about freedom of the individual. This is Paricio¡¯s most political

calls his Portobello objects, curios from the famous market.

Good artists do more than make you look: they make you

series to date and his darkest: subjects include war, gangs and

They are the touchstones that stimulate his mind when he¡¯s

think. Like Okri¡¯s writers, they are not about fame or money,

the current refugee crisis. Some of the pieces such as Realpolitik

working late into the night of a twelve-hour day with only a

nor do they pursue the vagaries of fashion. Rather they dig

(p. 44) and Youth (p. 28) are almost sinister, but humour and

cigar and his music for company.

deep inside themselves to produce work that resonates, not

optimism bring them back from the edge. In Bonnie & Clyde

only with us now, but also with future generations. One such

(p. 32) all the dreams of freedom you could ever wish for are

Paricio¡¯s appearance is also symbolic of his work: each item of

artist is Pedro Paricio.

captured in the clenched fists guiding the machine gun. However

clothing is chosen with care and for a reason. In this new phase,

you feel about Paricio¡¯s work, you will never be indifferent to it.

the uniform of jacket, hat and tie has been replaced by white

In the time I have known Paricio, I have seen his work grow

T-shirt and jeans and he has let his curly fair hair grow out. The

and develop through three exhibitions: Master Painters (2011),

¡®Dreams are not only what we inhabit when we sleep,¡¯ he says

hat, which features in so many of his paintings, was abandoned

Diary of an Artist and Other Stories (2012) and Shaman (2014).

when we discuss this new exhibition, ¡®they are fantasies and

after a nightmare in which he understood it was time to move

It has been a pleasure to see him fulfil his promise as one of

desires and fears, both of what we are hopeful for and what we

on with his art. The new Paricio appears on the shoulders of the

100 New Artists chosen by Francesca Gavin to emerge as an

are oblivious to. Though dreams are subconscious, they are also

old in Builders (p. 10) and in Analogic Man (p. 48) where he is

authoritative voice in modern art.

a ref lection of consciousness.¡¯

strumming his guitar.

This new exhibition Dreams is not only Paricio¡¯s fourth with

The majority of pieces in this exhibition are, as you would expect,

¡®When I change, my art changes,¡¯ he says. ¡®I change to keep

Halcyon Gallery, it also marks the fifth anniversary since he

acrylic on linen or, in the breakout series Particles,

my art alive. Artists that keep going the same for forty years, I

became their youngest signing, and comes hot on the heels of

acrylic on linen and canvas. Painted mirrors and his first three-

don¡¯t like that, I like to try different things. This new series is

last year¡¯s retrospective, Elogio de la Pintura (2014¨C2015), at the

dimensional kaleidoscopic sculpture Pollux inspired by D¨¹rer¡¯s

different but the same. All I have learned in the last ten years, I

Tenerifie Espacio de las Artes.

The Philosopher¡¯s Stone point to an exciting new direction.

have put in.¡¯

2

a mix of

He celebrates this freedom in two paintings: Mount Neriton

Paricio¡¯s inspiration has always come from a broad spectrum:

(p. 24) and Lazarus (p. 18), perhaps the two most personal

other artists, of course, books, music, film. He is terribly

pieces in the exhibition. Neriton, according to Homer¡¯s Iliad is

affected by the news, as is evident in works such as Promised

the mountain dominating Odysseus¡¯s homeland, Ithaca. If there

Land, Realpolitik and Youth. His current reading is sociolog y

are parallels between Tenerife and Ithaca, then this is a painting

and psycholog y, but he hasn¡¯t lost his love of history ¨C of

about homecoming.

man and of art. Dreams is layered with references not just

to classical art, but literature too, drawing parallels between

Paricio is ¡®a big, big puzzle with a lot of pieces¡¯, and, as he

our contemporary

world

continues to grapple with these, he needs only the simple things

face of it, Promised Land (p. 14) could be Paricio and Theo

in life: time, freedom, nature and, most importantly, family. His

heading to the beach with a child ¡¯s wooden horse. But the

art comes from so deep inside him that not even he can always

preliminary

see what he¡¯s drawn on to make it. I have a vision in my mind of

does five or six now instead of painting straight onto the

The blurred kaleidoscope effect he began to develop more than

Paricio f loating high among clouds representing his ideas and

canvas) show this is not a self-portrait. Are this father and

two years ago now glows like embers in the segmented trunk of

the artists he admires. A ribbon tied round his ankle snakes

son travelling to the Promised Land or away from it? Could

the elephant The Wise (p. 68). It is one of the first of the new

down to the ground where he is anchored by his partner Elena

they be Moses and the Israelites leaving Eg ypt or Aeneas and

series and therefore the most connected to Shaman.

and son Theo. He is able to take voyages into his imagination

his son leaving Troy? The painting is an allegory of exodus,

because they are always there to guide him home.

one can arg ue, a comment on the current refugee crisis. The

¡®A new narrative phase is coming,¡¯ he explains. ¡®Shaman was the

wooden horse is significant ¨C besieged Troy was in modern-

culmination of a previous style in all senses (mysticism, hat, f lat

Lazarus is probably the most telling piece in the exhibition.

day Turkey after all. ¡®Other artists make closed statements,

perfection). I¡¯m now exploring new paths but not forgetting

A dead body, (Paricio?), lies on a bier under a shroud. A red-

I want to open a debate and speak about human history ¨C to

where I came from; there is a clear break but also continuity,

haired woman (Elena?) and a small child (Theo?) look on.

paint about Syria,¡¯ he says.

because art is always a break and a continuity at the same time.¡¯

I f this seems a stretch too fa r, then consider that Pa ricio¡¯s

Although sometimes his work, as in his tribute After Francis

drawings

and classical mytholog y.

(another

new

On the

development

¨C

he

Pedro Paricio, a study for Promised Land, 2015.

Mixed media on paper, 41.3 x 57.2 cm

¡®Some people have one life,¡¯ he says, ¡®a linear life. Others are

reborn many times in many incarnations.¡¯

The catalyst to

rebirth is the child.

work

is deeply rooted

is impor ta nt

in the cla ssica l trad ition.

a nd each work

is str uctured

Form

precisely

to

this label. Au fond he has the intellect and skill of a classical

wa s

artist; each painting draws on the experience of his lifetime,

Put like that, Lazarus is not about death, it¡¯s about awakening

ma ke you ref lect,

and, in fact, the shroud is open where the feet should be,

cha racterised

suggesting the spirit is already free, rising like a phoenix ablaze

ka leidoscopic geometr y a nd whi le they¡¯re sti l l there , he is

the inf luences of Caravaggio, Vel¨¢zquez, Picasso, Bacon, and

with hope and light.

now more play f u l, more pa interly.

others are evident, but his magpie¡¯s eye is forever seeking out

by

a s good a r t shou ld do. Shaman

Bacon (2009), could be said to have the Pop aesthetic, he rejects

f lat

backg rounds

a nd his

sig nature

which is why he is always moving forward. If you look closely,

6

Artist's Studio, Tenerife, Spain

new narratives and new techniques. It is these aspects that keep

New earthy colours are in the khaki background of Bonnie &

1

Pedro Paricio in an interview with Caroline Jowett, June 2016.

his work so fresh.

Clyde, for example, or the grey of Lazarus¡¯s shroud. Like the reds,

2

Francesca Gavin, 100 New Artists. Laurence King, 2011.

yellows and oranges of Paricio¡¯s scintillating geometry these are

Two names are key this time round. The masters of still-life

also the colours of Tenerife.

the arts and literature. She is the former Arts and Literary Editor

Jean-Baptiste-Sim¨¦on Chardin (1699¨C1799) and Italian Giorgio

Morandi (1890¨C1964).

There are many ways to tell your story, art is just one of those

of the Daily Express and is currently working on a novel set in late-

ways. Paricio does not justify or explain his work, he sees it

eighteenth century London.

It¡¯s easy to see why Paricio¡¯s drawn to the former: ¡®Who said one paints

as a three-way conversation and expects it to play a full part

with colours?¡¯ Chardin once asked. ¡®One employs colours, but one

alongside the artist and the viewer. In his clever, insightful way

paints with feeling.¡¯ Alongside the Frenchman¡¯s sharp reds and glowing

he is inviting us to ref lect on ourselves and our dreams.

yellows is a more muted palette, which he draws on for tonal variation.

Couple that with the strong form and subtle colour gradations of

Giorgio Morandi, and you have the technical revolution of Dreams.

Acrylic, Paricio¡¯s chosen medium, is difficult to work as it doesn¡¯t have

the malleability of oil and dries quickly, nevertheless he has pushed his

paint to achieve the exquisitely subtle fading of Promised Land and the

impasto of Mount Neriton¡¯s bubble-gum-pink snowcap.

Caroline Jowett is an author, journalist and critic specialising in

SUE?OS

Caroline Jowett ?

"Los sue?os no son s¨®lo lo que habitamos cuando dormimos", dice. Cuando hablamos

de esta nueva exposici¨®n, "son fantas¨ªas, deseos y miedos, tanto conscientes como

inconscientes, porque aunque los sue?os provengan del subconscientes tambi¨¦n son un reflejo

El arte no va de ser famoso. El arte va sobre la libertad, la libertad

de la realidad consciente".

humana ... pero para mostrarle la libertad a otros primero debes ser libre tu

mismo. Un artista debe perseguir sus sue?os y sus sentimientos, no lo que

La mayor¨ªa de las piezas de esta exposici¨®n son, como cabr¨ªa esperar, acr¨ªlicos sobre

lino o, en el caso de la sorprendente serie Part¨ªcles, una mezcla de acr¨ªlico sobre lino y tambi¨¦n

est¨¦ de moda o sea tendencia. El arte no es una competici¨®n contra otros

lienzo. La serie Gallaxiesv, a medio camino entre la pintura y la escultura, y Pollux, su primera

artistas, no es una carrera.?

escultura tridimensional inspirada en la Piedra Filosofal de D¨¹rer, apuntan a una nueva

Pedro Paricio, Junio de 2016.

direcci¨®n muy emocionante.

Hace muchos a?os cuando empec¨¦ como periodista, Ben Okri, el novelista y ganador

Dreams es la obra de un Paricio m¨¢s abierto y relajado, un hombre que se siente

del Premio Booker, me dijo algo que nunca he olvidado. ¡°Hay dos clases de escritores, aquellos

c¨®modo en su propia piel. Despu¨¦s de dos a?os viviendo y trabajando en Londres, est¨¢ de

que exploran la corriente superficial de la conciencia y producen un trabajo instant¨¢neamente

vuelta en Tenerife donde ha establecido su nuevo estudio en el norte de la isla. Mientras que

gratificante e inmediatamente olvidable. Y otros cuya escritura emerge de la aut¨¦ntica

antes pintaba ¨²nicamente con luz artificial, ahora tambi¨¦n utiliza la luz natural que se cuela por

experiencia vital, para entregar algo original y profundo. Estos,¡± dijo, ¡°son los grandes

las ventanas, las cuales una vez estuvieron constantemente cerradas y ahora siempre abiertas.

escritores¡±. Una afirmaci¨®n que, desde mi punto de vista, podemos aplicar igualmente a los

?Es un clich¨¦ decir que entrar en el estudio de un artista es como entrar en su mente? No en

artistas pl¨¢sticos.

este caso. El estudio de Paricio es una Cueva de Aladino llena de recortes de revistas, t¨ªteres,

bric-¨¤-brac, objetos encontrados, cuadros, libros y lo que ¨¦l llama sus trastos de Portobello,

Los buenos artistas logran algo m¨¢s que hacerte mirar: te hacen pensar. Al igual que

curiosidades adquiridas en el famoso mercadillo callejero que estaba a dos calles de su estudio

los escritores de Okri, la cuesti¨®n no versa sobre la fama o el dinero, ni de perseguir los

en Londres, en Notting Hill. Son las piedras de toque que estimulan su mente cuando est¨¢

caprichos de la moda. Sino de escavar profundamente en uno mismo para crear un trabajo que

trabajando hasta tarde en la noche, en jornadas de doce horas, acompa?ado por un puro y

resuene, no s¨®lo dentro de nosotros ahora, sino tambi¨¦n de las generaciones futuras. Uno de

m¨²sica.

esos artistas, de los artistas que resonar¨¢n tambi¨¦n en el futuro, es Pedro Paricio.

La escogida apariencia de Paricio es una met¨¢fora simb¨®lica de su obra: cada pieza de

Desde que lo conozco, he visto crecer su trabajo a trav¨¦s de tres exposiciones: Master

ropa la elige con cuidado y por un motivo. En esta nueva fase, el uniforme de chaqueta, corbata

Painters (2011), Diary of an Artist and Other Stories (2012) y Shaman (2014). Ha sido un placer

y sombrero negro que aparece en tantas pinturas anteriores, ha sido reemplazado por una

verlo pasar de promesa en 2011, cuando fue elegido por Francesca Gav¨ªn como uno de 100

simple camiseta blanca y pantalones vaqueros. Tambi¨¦n ha dejado crecer su cabello rubio

nuevos artistas a tener en cuenta,? a convertirse en una voz acreditada dentro del arte

rizado. El sombrero lo abandon¨® para siempre despu¨¦s de una pesadilla en la que comprendi¨®

contempor¨¢neo.

que era hora de dar un paso adelante. El nuevo Paricio aparece sobre los hombros del antiguo

en la obra Builders (p.10) y de nuevo, esta vez solo, en Analogic Man (p.48) donde est¨¢

Esta nueva exposici¨®n, Dreams, no es s¨®lo la cuarta de Paricio con Halcyon Gallery,

rasgueando su guitarra.

tambi¨¦n marca el quinto aniversario desde que el artista se convirti¨® en la incorporaci¨®n m¨¢s

joven a la galer¨ªa que lo representa. Adem¨¢s abre sus puertas cuando aun tenemos fresca en

la memoria Elogio de la Pintura, la reciente gran retrospectiva que el artista tuvo hace unos

mese en el TEA.?

Shaman fue un salto adelante en confianza y madurez respecto a Diary of an Artist and

Other Stories, y con Dreams Paricio completa plenamente otra nueva progresi¨®n, la cual a su

vez tiene su origen en Shaman. Pero si Shaman era una exposici¨®n introspectiva, en Dreams

Paricio mira hacia afuera. Gira el espejo para apuntar ahora su mirada hacia nosotros.

En un momento de incertidumbre global y migraciones masiva, este nuevo trabajo

versa tanto sobre la humanidad como un todo como sobre la libertad del individuo. Esta es la

serie m¨¢s pol¨ªtica de Paricio hasta la fecha y tambi¨¦n la m¨¢s oscura: los temas incluyen, entre

otros, la guerra, las pandillas y la actual crisis de refugiados. Algunas de las piezas como

Realpolitik (p.44) y Youth (p.28) son casi siniestras, pero el humor y el optimismo las traen de

vuelta del abismo. En Bonnie & Clyde (P.32) todos los sue?os de libertad que jam¨¢s podr¨ªas

desear quedan atrapados en los pu?os apretados que gu¨ªan la ametralladora. Sea cual sea el

sentimiento que la obra de Paricio despierte en ti, nunca sera de indiferencia.

"Cuando yo cambio mi arte tambi¨¦n cambia", dice Paricio, ¡°cambio para mantener mi

arte vivo. Hay artistas que hacen los mismo durante cuarenta a?os, pero a mi eso no me

interesa porque me gusta experimentar y evolucionar. Esta nueva serie es diferente pero

tambi¨¦n igual. He introducido todo lo que he aprendido en los ¨²ltimos diez a?os¡±.

Celebra esta libertad en dos pinturas: Mount Neriton (p.24) y Lazarus (p.18), quiz¨¢s las

dos piezas m¨¢s personales de la exposici¨®n. Neriton, seg¨²n la Il¨ªada de Homero, es la monta?a

que domina la tierra de Ulises, ?taca. S¨ª hubiera algo en com¨²n entre Tenerife e ?taca, entonces

esta pintura trata sobre el regreso a casa.

Paricio es "un gran gran rompecabezas con muchas piezas", y para perpetuar la brega

interna solo necesita algunas cosas simples: tiempo, libertad, naturaleza y, lo m¨¢s importante,

la familia. El arte que crea tienen su origen en un lugar tan profundo dentro de ¨¦l que a veces ni

siquiera sabe completamente que es y de donde viene. Me imagino a Paricio flotando entre las

nubes con sus ideas y los artistas a los que admira. Con una cinta atada alrededor de su tobillo

que baja serpenteando hasta el suelo donde est¨¢n su mujer Elena y su hijo Theo. ?l es capaz

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