Eugenio Ampudia
Eugenio Ampudia in the group exhibition ‘Habitar las sombras’ at the IVAM
Eugenio Ampudia is part of the group exhibition 'Habitar las sombras' with 'Interlocutores del vacío' curated by Rosa Castells and Blanca de la Torre at the IVAM in Valencia.
The project consists of two exhibitions, one solo and one group, where the idea of the shadow is projected as a conceptual resource for reflecting on identity, memory, and violence. The choice of black and white could be considered, at first glance, a facile or even a deceptive ploy in the development of a curatorial discourse. However, this decision responds to an impulse where memory twists and refuses to be pigeonholed as the perfect metaphor for black and white imagery.
The breaking of the binomial relationships associated with a dichotomous worldview is, in itself, a form of resistance to social stereotypes, opening the door to the search for nuances that lie within the grayscale, removed from any reductionist framework. The dual conception of positive and negative has been part of a set of norms that have led us to believe that reality and fiction are opposing domains, rather than complementary codes that enrich our perceptions of the world.
In this context, mythology opens the way to explore these dualities through its archetypal representations. Narratives of gods and heroes often include confrontations with shadows—both literal and metaphorical—that reflect the internal and external struggles we face. For example, in Greek mythology, the figure of Hades embodies not only death but also transformation and rebirth. The hero’s journey, a common motif in various mythologies, often encompasses a descent into darkness followed by resurrection, underscoring the need to confront our own shadows. The struggles between opposites present in foundational myths invite reinterpretations that recognize that these polarities are, in fact, part of an uncategorized spectrum of grays.
The use of shadows as a narrative tool allows for the telling of stories in which each concept or idea, through symbols or analogies, represents a more complex reality. Both the concept of black and white and shadows have shaped the cultural imagination through film, photography, and art.
Artists: Berta Cáccamo, Paz Errázuriz, Thomas Ruff, Louise Bourgeois, Bernd & Hilla Becher, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Rula Halawani, Chema Madoz, Eulàlia Valldosera, Anthony Caro, Cristina García Rodero and Cindy Sherman, among others.
