Kwai Fung Hin is pleased to present the Solo Exhibition of Oswaldo Vigas: Curtain Call, which brings its focus on the Venezuelan modern master’s hybrid figures, particularly from his transformative “childlike” period that saw the artist conjure an entirely new universe of magical theatre. Populating the stage is a cast of highly inventive, hybrid “actors”, whose polymorphic forms challenge cultural boundaries and one-sided reading of the world. Deeply connected to the multiplicity of the artist’s cultural heritage and ancestral traditions, they stand between the modern reality and the fantastical realm of Latin American culture. In front of the world audience, they take on an autonomous role, laying bare the spectacles of the human condition.
Curtain Call stages another climactic chapter in Vigas’s life, an “encore” moment following more than forty years of successful career. Presented alongside are works spanning his early to mature periods, offering a view into the culmination of his life's work, an ongoing process of questioning and reimagining the world through the living myths of his homeland.
“Now come the contortionists!”
In 1993, Vigas had a major retrospective exhibition at the Monnaie de Paris museum, where he also received the “Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres” from the Minister of Culture of France to recognize his remarkable artistic achievement. This significant exhibition offered a chance for the artist to reflect on his life and practice, but it certainly was not a conclusion of his career. After the exhibition, it took Vigas a while to pick up his brush again. He took his time to reconnect to his roots by visiting historical sites and studying ancient petroglyphs, which had long been the inspirations of his work. Finally, a profound introspection turned into a renewed creativity, giving birth to what is called his “childlike period”.
About these enigmatic figures, Vigas gave a witty comment: “…was it not too solemn, with so many art critics, ministers and ambassadors? Now come the contortionists!” Behind this playful remark was a rejection of conventional judgement and hierarchical standards. Much like in animation and circus performance, our wildest imagination and irrational thoughts are safe in this universe. With his seemingly childish compositions, Vigas brings us back to a state of origin, allowing us to look at the world anew with the most innocent eyes.
Carrying the weight of his country’s colonial past and continuous social turmoil, Vigas stood firmly against the rapid current of the twentieth century to look for an artistic freedom that embraced differences and spoke to our collective origins. His hybrid figures were not just a way of blending past traditions; it was an ever-evolving language capable of generating new harmonious worlds.
