Peter Gaztambide recently presented an extensive collection of works that summarized his creative activity over the last five years. Most of this production consisted of mixed media verging on the figurative. However, he has endeavored to create an aesthetic equilibrium in which his characteristic abstraction acquires an active role. In looking at his work, we are reminded of the comments made by Heraclitus about reality to the effect that "beings both exist and do not exist." This exhibition confirmed how objective elements are linked by factors that, if taken separately, have non-concrete qualities. A similar situation leads us towards life whose complexity is the result of a chemical process where each element is codified, and which requires pre-established understandings in order to define them. In many of Gaztambide’s works profiles emerge which serve to demarcate the organic elements that exist in his canvases. He thus delineates areas in which warm tones predominate in apparent contrasts, creating optical atmospheres which are sometimes so active that they seem to become spaces in a state of ebullition. At other times, he creates areas of peacefulness that emphasize the sense of chromatic effervescence, giving a kind of hyperactivity to the free forms contained in his canvases.
It is worth noting how Gaztambide takes us towards an exploration of an intimate cartography, made up of forms presented as though they were fragments of memories. In particular, by means of a controlled sense of fantasy, the spectator discovers paths that no conjecture can reveal. We are thus invited to enter aesthetic enclosures where the artist shares, and to some extent synthesizes, his private cosmology. On the other hand, when the spectator is confronted with works that are predominantly anthropomorphic, the artist seems to be encouraging us to experience a kind of visual trance. When seen together, these compositions seem to be rival powers in the midst of some struggle. However, what the artist is trying to do is to show us that all his efforts are designed to give a special place to color, to make it into a psychological event. Another interesting feature is the way in which Gaztambide creates a sense of distancing from the everyday world, so that much of his work seems to ratify experiences that have already been lived. Sometimes, he updates previous elements, taking us back into our minds and bringing into play mechanisms that communicate us with the past. The works contained in this show reveal how the artist has discovered a rich seam of materials ideally suited for calling up powers that lie beyond the realm of reason. These representations are not governed by physical laws and thus allow the spectator to plunge into a state of physical, emotional, and spiritual suspension. By propelling us towards the frontier between reality and abstraction, they encourage us to dig deep into the psychological layers upon which they are constructed. For this reason, Gaztambide's work is full of silhouettes that seem to be constantly disappearing, and the spectator is constantly engaged in the attempt to decipher them. This sense of evanescence evokes the human capacity to transcend the limits of time and space, creating dialogues that take us toward surprising destinations.
JOSÉ ANTONIO PÉREZ RUIZ