When Fdez-Pinedo arrived in Zanzibar, the goal was not to capture postcard beauty or portray anonymous faces, but to immerse himself in the explosive visual and daily life of the island. And this is demonstrated in 'Retratos de Zanzíbar', his latest exhibition, which was installed a few weeks ago at the Pigment Gallery in Barcelona , after a prominent appearance at the Estampa Madrid fair.
Fdez-Pinedo explores the dynamic and moving essence of urban life in Zanzibar, where the artist found an inexhaustible source of rhythms, colors and stories. Each canvas shows scenes full of vitality and transience.
Fdez-Pinedo describes the process as a relationship of curiosity that goes beyond the obvious: "After several visits to the island, I felt the restlessness that was hiding something that had to nourish me. After being painting- a few weeks ago, I didn't quite see what it was that attracted me plastically. Of course, its colors, the infinite shades of its people's skins, clothes, etc., are a beautiful thing. and new. I painted some works that left me unmoved, they didn't reflect what I was looking for, that wasn't the driving force, nor that kind of energy that made me keep thinking about 'nosequé'."
Scenes where children play, fishermen peel fish, and the air is full of the aroma of the sea, sun and sand. This unstoppable dynamism is, for Fdez-Pinedo, a treasure trove of spontaneous images that dissolve and recompose in an infinite cycle. The artist explains that this constant movement – of the inhabitants, of the clouds, of the light – generates textures and scenes that he tries to turn into paintings that reflect this raw and unfinished energy.
Open to the public until December 2, the exhibition offers a mix of visual memories, emotions and intuitions, vivid colors and evolving lights. A tribute to a way of life that is lived on the street, to a society that changes as the light does throughout the day, a unique chromatic landscape.
'Retratos de Zanzíbar', Fdez-Pinedo. © Pigment Gallery
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