Staging Observations

Staging Observations traverse into crafted narratives and visual storytelling materialized through photography and video, where the boundaries between reality and fiction blur to reveal hidden layers of meaning. In this work, I stage tableaus to evoke mystery and tension, inviting viewers to question what they know—or think they know—about the people and spaces they see. These tableaus sometimes involve fictive characters or real individuals who transform into fictionalized versions of themselves through the process of being staged. The result is an uncanny reflection between observation and invention, reality and performance.

In Mirroring Mirror, subjects are staged against a minimal, refined backdrop. The simplicity of the scene allows subtle gestures and interactions to take center stage. For instance, in one video portrait, a woman braids her hair back and forth between two mirrored screens that gaze at one another, creating a loop of self-reflection. In another, a man draws with both hands simultaneously, making eye contact with the viewer as if sketching their portrait, turning the audience into part of the tableau.

Another significant series, The Flemish, reflects group portraiture inspired by the compositions and lighting of Flemish primitives and artists like Velázquez. In these staged photographs, I arrange families into tableaus that initially appear posed. Yet, I avoid traditional direction, allowing moments of boredom and long pauses so natural interactions and behaviors emerge between the subjects. As time passes and the subjects grow out of their anxiety, they become relaxed or uneasy and begin to act more like themselves or perhaps heightened versions of themselves. In these moments, I capture the photograph, bringing out an essence between deliberate arrangement and spontaneous expression.

In Domestic Encounters, the staging shifts to constructed scenes that mimic domestic environments. These settings are often fabricated; the people may not live there, and the objects may be out of place. Yet, they evoke the familiar atmosphere of a home, suffused with subtle tension and mystery. Each arrangement invites the viewer to question the authenticity of what they see and to sense the quiet strangeness that permeates these staged spaces. Through careful arrangement and an embrace of the unexpected, I craft spaces where the familiar becomes mysterious and the ordinary reveals its complexity. In these approaches, unseen narratives and subtle dramas within everyday moments transform into otherness, as banality is elevated into aesthetics.

The final series, While Absent-Present, blends found and staged moments in outdoor settings. In one instance, I discovered the remnants of a demolished structure, beautifully arranged under falling snow, reminiscent of The Raft of the Medusa by Géricault. I filmed this still scene, allowing the viewer to experience the slow, poignant snowfall over these fragments of history. In another, I set up a young woman reading a book in a park during spring. The scene is simple, almost mundane, yet it resonates with the fresh vitality of the season, inviting viewers into a moment of quiet contemplation.

Mirroring Mirror

MIRRORING, MIRROR invites viewers into a contemplative space where the poetics of simplicity unfold with quiet intensity. Though minimal in action, these staged moments resonate with a sense of presence that transcends the surface of observation, moving instead into the art of seeing. The subtle gestures—someone braiding their hair, the act of drawing, or the stillness of a gaze—encourage us to linger, to notice the tension between the every day and the staged, between what feels real and what feels constructed.

As viewers, we are drawn into the emotional undercurrents of these images, where the apparent simplicity reveals layers of complexity. The works evoke a quiet introspection, a sense of connection with the subjects, and an awareness of our own act of watching. What do we see in them, and how do they reflect aspects of ourselves? The deliberate stillness of the compositions heightens the smallest details, transforming mundane actions into meditations on time.

*Soundless video-loops, sizes variable, displayed in RGB monitors.

† This works has been included in the following exhibitions:

-2012, From the series: “Staging Observations”; “Mirroring Mirror“. Two video monitor installation. Presence and absence, the requisite of existence. I am looking, I continue looking but with my eyes closed, maybe then I cease to exist. I want to dream with the possibility of a double self, a self which only exists partially, an objective self, ‘an other’,  the other-self as a relational product of my own self. I am looking but I am not, my eyes are closed. Rudin Prize Finalist (2014). Norton Museum, Florida, USA.

-2012, From the series: “Staging Observations”; “Mirror Drawing”. Single shot frame. The subject on the image performs a ‘mirror drawing’ while he attentively observes us. To look at one’s self in the mirror while picturing the unbearable portrait of the self. It could be you, but it is me. It is in the here and now that I stand before a mirror, my own mirror. Like I said, it could be you, but it is me for sure, although perhaps, it is us that I see, that we see. I am looking at you as if it was me, your eyes are my mirror, I am drawing a mirror. Arte en Mayo (2016). Fundación Rozas-Botrán, Guatemala City.

The Flemish

2011, "The Flemish" is a captivating series of portraits that seamlessly intertwines the essence of everyday life with the historical grandeur of Vermeer and Velázquez. In this collection, specific homes, chosen for their architectural elements and unique lighting conditions, serve as the backdrop to scenes of well-accommodated Flemish families. Each portrait transcends mere posing, inviting subjects to embody their everyday roles, thereby infusing each image with authenticity and depth. The series not only reflects an speculated typical Flemish family life, but also introduces a layer of psychological complexity and tension. The natural tension between the characters adds a dynamic and intriguing dimension to these meticulously crafted scenes, offering a contemporary homage to the classical beauty of Flemish art.

Ducha

2012, From the series: “Staging Observations”, “Ducha (Shower).”

The world moves at such high speed, that suddenly we notice that certain subtleties of time and movement become imperceptible. This is an attempt to recreate a spatiotemporal frame where the perception of time and space can become more profound and quiet. I wish to request the beholder to ultimately calm down his senses, and for a brief moment ask him or her to consider the act of oddly experiencing the mundane as another form of altering one's perception.

*Video Loop, 17 inch. RGB Monitor.

† This work has been included in the following exhibitions:
Suelta (2011). Online platform for Latin American art and text.

Domestic Encounters

2011, "Domestic Encounters" a series of staged photographs and videos that portray fictions of everyday life, unraveling the hidden layers of intimacy within imagery of domestic fantasies. This collection artfully stages the intricate interplay between objects, subjects, and spaces, drawing from the mundane to evoke a sense of extraordinary tension. Each representation in this series is crafted to lead viewers not towards definitive answers, but into a labyrinth of puzzlement and intrigue. It captures the uncanny sensation of otherness, a hauntingly familiar yet alien presence that resides in the commonplace, transforming the ordinary into a realm of unexpected absorption and reflection.

While Absent, Present

2011, “While Absent, Present”, is a video series exploring the poetics of silence and banality in what is found or left behind, in non-consequential linear stories. A random fraction of what is quotidian in the common space, tends to be the instinctual choice of subject matter. Although quite subtly, the work pulls by its gravitational force, metaphorical implications of form and content: the relations and (or) tensions between the boundaries of the pictorial frame, the interplay of textures, and in some cases the insinuated presence of sound while being completely absent.

The Silence Between Us; Together Alone

2009, "The Silence Between Us; Together Alone" is a poignant portrait series exploring the enigmatic dance of connection and alienation within intimate relationships. This collection of photographs deepens into the complexity of shared silences and unspoken understandings between young Flemish couples, capturing moments of 'together alone.' It examines the intriguing paradox of how two people, in their most intimate settings, can simultaneously experience deep connection and profound alienation. Each portrait is a revelation, unveiling the subtle layers of emotion and thought that linger in the quiet spaces between words. The series invites viewers to reflect on the silent, yet powerful narratives that unfold in the presence of another, where each glance and gesture speaks volumes.

† Published in FotoVisura Magazine in 2009.