The sky becomes a dune, the horizon of sand.

In Rafael Gomezbarros' work, deserts and dunes emerge as metaphors of the human condition, offering a profound look at existence, spirituality, and a journey of inner contemplation. He navigates these barren landscapes to unveil the depths of life experience and the search for meaning.

Deserts, with their barren extension and seemingly endless horizons, evoke a sense of existential emptiness and isolation. In his seminal work Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1884), Nietzsche explores the concept of desert as a metaphor for the absence of meaning in a world without God. For Nietzsche, the desert is not only a physical landscape but also a metaphorical space within the human soul. It is a place where entrenched values and imposed morality lose meaning and thus, individuals must confront the void and create new meanings and values for themselves. In this sense, the desert is both a terrifying and liberating space, offering the possibility of renewal and self-improvement. For his part, Heidegger, in his philosophy of being, delves into the notion of "dwelling" as a fundamental aspect of human existence. For Heidegger, the desert represents a space of radical openness, where we can confront the ultimate questions of existence and find a deeper connection with being. In Gomezbarros, the desert becomes a place of pilgrimage, where one must find the light by losing oneself.

The dunes, with their restless sands and undulating forms, are both the origin and the derivation of the artist's research process. Just as the wind sculpts the dunes, modeling and reshaping their contours, Gomezbarros creates these eponymous installations by means of textures, tones, and contrasts that are unique to his gaze. The colored crystals that are part of his works are like prisms of possibilities, refracting the vision, illuminating the world in shades of red, blue, and yellow, revealing a hidden look under a new light. It is a response to the ever-changing thoughts of life. Through his works, he invites the viewer to contemplate the impermanence of things and existential vicissitudes like grains of sand that escape when we try to catch them with our hands.

In his most recent exhibition, Dunas, Gomezbarros undertakes a literal as well as metaphorical quest, symbolizing a foray into self-discovery and enlightenment. This exploration of the desert landscape results in a ritual of connection between the spiritual and nature. In the composition of his works, the convergence of sands, oxides, and pigments are ephemeral gestures that evoke a sense of transcendence, inviting us to expand our individual limits and merge with the elemental forces of the universe.

Text by: Viviana Mejía