IVAN PRIETO (ES)
Ivan Prieto is a contemporary Spanish artist. His work focuses on ceramic sculptures, but Prieto also creates illustrations and installations.
In his colourful surrealistic sculptures, Prieto captures certain fragility of humans and life in general, including indications to physical disabilities (such as deafness and blindness), as well as mental imperfections, with each character being inspired by real-life human counterparts.
Having also had similar personal experiences, Prieto wants to explore the transgressing of physical and mental borders in his art, which are in some way relatable for everyone.
In this way, the works also are a self-portrait of the artist.
Ivan Prieto
He is known for his surreal and expressive sculptures that challenge conventional aesthetics. With his ceramic sculptures, Prieto creates a distorted, living universe inhabited by colourful, surreal creatures that challenge the perception of what is known as reality and explore human limits.
Prieto’s sculptures are deeply rooted in the principles of surrealism.
His hybrid figures are often grotesque, unnatural and provocative, with exaggerated facial expressions and body parts that appear to be in a state of transformation. The imaginative forms he creates challenge conventional notions of beauty and human anatomy and provoke social norms. He often continues the heads of his creatures and merges them with other forms or body parts to create a space between the world we live in and another, freer world. He plays masterfully with proportions, textures and colours, creating works that seem both familiar and imaginary.
The ceramic sculptures show a movement and emotion that gives the clay a lifelike quality. Prieto often uses a vibrant and unconventional colour palette that enhances the surreal nature of his works. The juxtaposition of smooth and rough surfaces adds a provocative element to his works that draws the viewer in and encourages them to view the sculptures from different angles. Prieto’s figures are precisely crafted with closed eyes and create the impression of an inner calm that is characterised by the the impression of an inner calm, which is disturbed by the bright, shiny colours and unnatural shapes of the figures.
disturb. His unique forms often seem to act as a protective armour against external hostility, offering an essence of resilience. Despite their often unsettling appearance, his sculptures are playful and eccentric, inviting the viewer to embrace their curiosity for the unusual. His figures refer to the physical, emotional and existential struggle in today’s society. The different types of facial expressions he meticulously depicts often represent the inner conflicts and anxieties associated with communicative agonies. These existential themes encourage the viewer to reflect on their own feelings.
His powerful depictions find their way through the lens of surrealism and distortion, offering a vision of humanity that is at once unsettling and deeply revealing. Without any attempt at literality, Prieto’s works form an interface between reality and hallucination.
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Rabbit in Blue Non verbal communication
