SURREALISM
PAINTS
My work occupies a space between the human figure, memory, and the realm of the imagination. The compositions do not seek to represent a stable reality, but rather to reveal what lies beneath the surface: the desires, fears, contradictions, and transformations that shape the human experience.
In my paintings, the body appears as a site of transition. It is a vulnerable presence, yet never passive—a surface upon which symbols, animals, objects, and natural forces are inscribed. Veiled faces, suspended figures, fish, eggs, snakes, insects, and marine forms disrupt everyday logic to open up a space for interpretation. The familiar becomes strange, while the strange takes on an intimate dimension.
I construct my images through the accumulation of layers. Painting, drawing, airbrushing, encaustic, spray paint, watercolor, and other mixed-media techniques merge to create surfaces with an eroded, almost archaeological appearance. Texture serves as more than just a visual element; it acts as a metaphor for time, memory, and the fragmented identities that constitute the individual.
Displaced everyday life
Displaced everyday life
In *Doing Life*, an egg spills its yolk onto the shoulder of a naked figure, while a fork and a small ladybug introduce a domestic logic into a scene that is both bodily and symbolic. The everyday object ceases to be defined solely by its function and becomes an open sign: it may allude to birth, fragility, nourishment, an accident, or the impossibility of fully controlling life.
My surrealism arises precisely from this coexistence of the ordinary and the impossible. The scene does not abandon reality; it reorganizes it. The body, the utensils, and the small living creatures appear connected by a narrative that is not fully explained but invites to contemplation.
The body as a territory of transformation
The body as a territory of transformation
In works such as "FINGERS" the human face is partially obscured by octopus tentacles. The sea creature does not appear as a conventional threat, but rather as an enveloping, almost protective presence. The octopus’s embrace can be interpreted as an image of connection with the unknown, yet also as a representation of that which holds us, transforms us, and compels us to abandon a fixed identity.
The human figure retains its serenity as the organic element encroaches upon its space. This tension between stillness and disturbance is central to Aromí-Masriera’s work: the surreal event does not manifest as an explosion, but as a silent alteration that gradually shifts perception.
Desire, Danger, and Consciousness
Desire, Danger, and Consciousness
In *Selling Out*, a woman is depicted alongside a green snake, surrounded by an atmosphere of seduction and menace. The rich colors of her hair and attire contrast with the muted background, creating an image that seems to belong simultaneously to the realms of portraiture, allegory, and mythology.
The snake may evoke temptation, knowledge, danger, or renewal. Yet, the figure does not appear submissive; she maintains a steadfast presence, fully aware of her relationship with her surroundings. This ambiguity allows the work to transcend a rigid moral interpretation and become a reflection on desire and its consequences.
Identity as Mask and Metamorphosis
Identity as Mask and Metamorphosis
The human figure frequently appears partially hidden, covered, or transformed. In *The King of Chickens*, identity merges with the animal realm through an unsettling image: the human face and the rooster cease to be separate categories. The egg appearing in the mouth reinforces the sense of metamorphosis and raises questions regarding the origin, nature, and boundaries of the body.
This transformation is not presented as an absolute loss of identity, but rather as a possibility for expansion. The human being becomes a hybrid, finding a form of freedom in that intermediate state. The work challenges traditional hierarchies between nature and culture, rationality and instinct, humanity and animality.
A POETICS CONTRADICTION
This body of work reveals an ongoing exploration of the boundaries of identity. I do not present fully defined characters, but rather presences undergoing states of change. Their figures hover between waking and dreaming, the human and the animal, memory and invention.
The choice of restrained palettes—muted greens, ochres, aged pinks, deep blues, and earth tones—allows symbolic elements to take on a distinct intensity. A red fish, a yellow yolk, a green snake, or a crimson tentacle can become a center of gravity within the composition. Chromatic restraint does not diminish expressiveness; it concentrates it.
Through eroded surfaces and visible layers, I construct images that appear to have survived an indeterminate span of time. Each work partakes of the nature of a document, a relic, and a dream. The material itself seems to remember, even when the figure attempts to forget.
My surrealist works offer a perspective on the human condition rooted in instability and transformation. My images do not seek to explain the world, but rather to render it more complex. By displacing everyday objects, fusing bodies with animals, and partially obscuring faces, I create a visual language in which identity remains open-ended.
My surrealism is intimate and symbolic. It relies not merely on the strangeness of the imagery, but on the capacity of those images to spark questions regarding vulnerability, desire, memory, freedom, and our relationship with the unknown.
In this universe, every figure seems to guard a silent story. Every surface invites the viewer to look beyond the image itself. And every impossible element serves as a gateway to an emotional truth that everyday reality often keeps hidden.
Enric Aromí-Masriera (SEPT 2026)