Cesc Abad. El perfume de una idea. Distopía psicológica.

03.11.2021

Collaborative exhibition with The Room Studio

Cesc Abad (Barcelona 1973), will exhibit from the 28th of October, 2021, to February 2022, his new project "El perfume de una idea. Distopía psicológica" at Galería Espai París, a selection of paintings in which the artist explores the flaws of our society and depicts a dystopian world that allows us to reflect on and question our role in it.

Cesc Abad (Barcelona 1973), will exhibit from the 28th of October, 2021, to February 2022, his new project "El perfume de una idea. Distopía psicológica" at Galería Espai París, a selection of paintings in which the artist explores the flaws of our society and depicts a dystopian world that allows us to reflect on and question our role in it. As Cesc Abad develops his identity as a painter, he becomes aware of his great interest in humans and their relationship with nature, and after years of experimentation he found his greatest tool in this creative process: the post-impressionist brushstroke and the history of symbolism. This combination makes the artist's final work both figurative and conceptual, making an introspection from nature's point of view that suggests many questions to the viewer: Can the Darwinian approach be reversed? Of all the species that inhabit our planet, which has evolved and where to? Could our society be living in a dystopia? These questions may be easy to ask, and possibly be answered, if we immerse ourselves in the dystopian world of the artist Cesc Abad.

If we reverse the Darwinian approach, we may find ourselves in a scenario where the pinnacle of civilisation is not designed for humans, but for animals that are capable of developing more efficient behaviour than humans. Cesc's work takes us into a kind of Garden of Eden, where each element has a specific role and lives in harmony with its environment. His work also makes us reflect on the dangers of technological developments that have the potential to mutate animal body parts into cars, traffic lights or televisions. The artist aims to suggest that we are really facing the involution of species, the involution of Darwin's theory, where the true pariah is the human, who observes the greed of the animal species. Perhaps we are facing a new dystopia that allows us to reflect on our role in the world, as a satire of human behaviour. Perhaps works such as "No smoking" or "Bonaparte" pose situations that until now we had not even imagined. Perhaps Cesc Abad is creating a new world in order to talk about our own.

About the artist Cesc Abad was born as the only son of a family dedicated to the family business. At the age of 15 he was expelled from school and it was then that he was attracted to the world of the visual arts. So, under the condition that he worked in the family business, his father paid for his first painting studio. It was during these early years of his artistic career that Cesc experimented and exhibited his first works. At the age of 21, his father suddenly passed away, and Cesc found himself in charge of the family business. This was a key moment in Cesc's life as it changed the way he understood art, the world and himself. Cesc was the manager of the family business, always managing it from a creative point of view. During his time as a businessman, Cesc created more than ten successful companies in different fields and it was during that period when he realised that his passion for painting made him seem weak in front of his business colleagues, so he decided to hide it. Given that he had enough money and time, he set up a studio attached to his company under the strictest secrecy. This studio was located next to his office with a door that gave him direct access, and it was there that he constantly experimented with different materials and techniques. This hidden space was known as "The Wall" by his employees, a mysterious space since no one but his family knew what was behind it. After leading a double life for 20 years, in 2016 he decided to sell his companies and dedicate his life exclusively to his artistic creation. He took this as an opportunity to move to a better studio and began to prepare his works to show them to the world. This was the moment when he decided that his passion for art and painting was no longer a secret.

Interview with the artist Throughout your professional career, dystocia has played a major role. Why? What does dystocia represent for you? What dialogue do you want to initiate with this content? At some points in my professional career, dystocia has served me as a tool to give a coherent discourse to my concerns. To me, dystocia represents an imaginary where I can criticise certain attitudes of society. Symbolism has also been an important element in your work. What do you want to convey with the mutated animals that are repeated throughout your work? It's a kind of dystopian tale where human action comes to alter our biodiversity... We are inhabitants of a world in constant change. We can appreciate this change in the little things, in everyday acts that we carry out automatically, without thinking, without valuing them, but that little by little leave a mark on our lives, on our health and on our DNA. After so many years studying the great masters of painting, who would you say are your references, and with whom do you feel most identified? Right now, and after many years of studying a lot of paintings, I feel very comfortable with the expressionists (Munch) and a love of nature that is slightly post-impressionist. But at the same time, with a resurgence of the new American figuration. What has your artistic process been like leading up to your post-impressionist brushstroke as a sign of your identity? Was it clear to you from the very beginning that this was your style, your identity, or was it an evolution that you experimented along the way? My brushstroke has been an evolution, I have gone through many stages, like all artists, where trying and being influenced is the most common thing, until you find your own brushstroke with which you feel comfortable. Do you remember a decisive moment in your career when you went to see an exhibition and were felt with a positive impact? There was a moment, at the age of 18, when I had the opportunity to spend some time in Madrid on my own, and I spent every single day at the Prado Museum, sharing my concerns with the copyists who were working in the Museum at the time. Obviously I have seen hundreds of exhibitions, and have been impressed by them on numerous occasions. What does art mean to you? Art is an obsession. Art has not always been your main job; you spent 20 years hiding your passion in the so-called "Wall" without anyone knowing that you were painting. What do you remember about that time? It was like a rollercoaster. On the one hand I was a very successful businessman and on the other hand I was a night worker creating works of art, which at that time I knew nobody would see. How did you manage to face your fears and expose your work to the world? Actually this fear was a responsibility acquired after the death of my father, and after years of reflection on who I was, I decided to be honest with myself and leave everything for the Art. Was there a decisive moment that pushed you to come out into the light? The impulse to want to be yourself. What advice would you give to someone in a similar situation? To be honest with yourself. Now that your painting is finally on public display, has your way of expressing yourself in painting and your understanding of art changed? I still feel as free as I did when I was painting behind the wall. Finally, what advice would you give to someone who has just entered the world of art? To follow their instinct.

We would like to thank Cesc Abad for the pleasure of allowing us to have his new show at Espai París and for the trust he has placed in The Room Studio. We are very excited to be able to share this great exhibition with all of you. We look forward to seeing you there!