As a cultural phenomenon, the proliferation of the selfie confronts us with questions about the self and its representations. Never before has humanity had the ability to generate and share so many images of itself. Thus, it is possible that the self-portrait has ceased to be an artistic gesture, becoming banal as a narcissistic act, devoid of mystery or purpose. In response to this challenge, the exhibition Unseen Bodies brings together the work of three artists who explore the self-representation beyond the conventional formats of the self-portrait.

The plastic and conceptual exercises showcased in this exhibition go beyond the logic of the body as a mere image and instead evoke presences suggested through diverse materials such as stone, starch, or cement. Instead of the affirmation typical of conventional self-portraits that proclaim "here I am," these works begin with the imprints and material remnants that individuals and human groups leave behind throughout their earthly existence.

Although they belong to the broad field of visual arts, none of the works in this exhibition explicitly depict the human figure. Thus, they could be described as non-retinal self-portraits, which transcend vision and appeal to the imagination and senses like smell or touch. We may be witnessing what some scholars call "geological writings" or the well-known "ecological footprint," which is nothing more than the trace each living being leaves behind, inscribing their presence not on photosensitive paper, like photography, nor in a two-dimensional image, like drawing or painting, but in the deep layers of the landscape, natural elements, and material culture of our time.

María Elena Pombo (Caracas, 1988) explores the cultures that have shaped the diverse demographics of Latin American countries. Inspired by the Casta Paintings of the 18th and 19th centuries, which depicted ethnic diversity and classifications, the artist works on silk with starches derived from a mix of endemic plants consumed by the population groups in colonial societies—cassava, corn, and potatoes—that remain staples in the region. These presences become living processes themselves, distancing from the logic of imagery. They are traces of the human body, its processes, and needs, without the human figure being present in the work.

In her series Self-Portrait as Consciousness of Time, Suwon Lee (Caracas, 1977) undertakes a contemplative exercise where her presence and image are only a diffuse evocation in the landscape. One part documents a fleeting land art piece in which she drew her figure on the earth with stones and then allowed the terrain to absorb it. Created shortly after her arrival in Spain, following three relocations since her departure from Venezuela in 2016, the piece acts as a ritual or elaboration on the processes of rooting. Two photographs of the celestial vault complete the conceptual gesture of assuming the landscape as a projection or continuation of the self, where the gaze merges with the environment instead of objectifying or commodifying it, as in Eurocentric landscape painting tradition. Following the idea that we are made of stardust, the portrait of the Pleiades and constellations becomes an expanded self-portrait in time and space.

Nikolay Morgunov (Moscow, 1992) focuses on pictorial and sculptural gestures that result in open-ended abstractions. In his work, processes of unfolding could allude to fragmented identity, mirror effects, and confrontation with one's own existence. His punching bag, made of painted canvas and intervened with nails, place us before the delicate line between empathy and assertiveness in the process of forming individual and social identity. Instead of absorbing blows, the intervened object becomes untouchable, giving rise to the paradox of the impossibility of contact.

Text by Diana Cuéllar Ledesma
Research Fellow at the Cisneros Institute/MoMA and Adviser and Contributor for Phaidon's “Latin American Artists. From 1785 to Now”