Carlos Barrios - Painting | Ceramics - Friday 29 November - Saturday 21 December 2024

Todos los Animales – All the Animals

Most of us have been touched in certain moments of our lives
By a creature of the animal kind, furry, scaly or feathered
From the air or water, from the land or mystic realms

These beautiful animals give us their unconditional, pure love
Share with us their magic and their company

With this show of work, I acknowledge their existence
Their beauty and commitment to a higher love
With its natural and simple ways

I feel fortunate to have spent many periods of my life with animals
As a teenager I recall growing up during the civil war in El Salvador
Sneaking out of our home around midnight with my loyal German Shepherd Tonatiu
To walk to the park under the moon and stars to decompress

To feel the silence of a sleeping city, heavy with the weight of fear
Sometimes we would find strange characters lurking in the shadows
We were safe, it was although nobody could touch us
A boy and his dog playing under the moonlight

And I have come to know my animality and embrace it
We humans are primordial animals
Containing within us all that is magic and pure
Poised to reveal itself

I am content when surrounded by our animal companions
And in my world, I consider this to include my family and friends

Carlos Barrios, artist 2024