Zeitgeist auf Holz

In Germany, I watched as the black line of a drawing transformed, no longer just a mark, but a carving, a rupture in the surface, a portal to a new dimension. What is this place? I asked myself. I had stepped into a different time-space, one that was reshaping me. From the moment I set foot in Berlin, I began to wonder: Could Time express itself through my art?

Inspired by the unknown surroundings, I sank my gouges into a new style. In some works, I abandoned figuration, engaging instead in a dialogue with the material, submerging myself into it. I raked the wood, unveiling hidden layers of reality. My perception anchored itself around a figure or two—until, to my surprise, shoes emerged, parading tacit Germanic identities.

I sought to create an image that questioned the very essence of the image itself, balancing between painting and engraving. I furrowed bas-reliefs into the wood, carving a surface that could hold the passage of time: sometimes burnishing the wood chips back into place, other times emphasizing the presence of the natural grain. Each piece became a unique matrix, an original that could not be replicated. Working with wood allowed me to touch the skin of time.

My artistic inquiries became intertwined with thermodynamics, quantum theory, meditation, and my profound admiration for Albert Einstein—along with a fascination for the cultural ecosystem that nourished his hopeful perspectives. I found deep inspiration in Käthe Kollwitz, a pioneer of German Expressionism, and in contemporary argentinean print artists.

Berlin asked me: Who am I? Here I am: an endless beginning, submerging into the fluidity of “dark matter”, sinking my tools into the wood, being a being in time…

Mx Watson