Us as a Poem of Delusion

For the “Resistance of the Sleepers” exhibition at UCCA Dune Museum (China)





















“Us as a Poem of Delusion” is a group of artworks specifically made  “Resistance of the Sleepers” exhibition at UCCA Dune museum (Beidaihe, China).













The first artwork of the set is “Aperture (a prelude into meaning)" and consists of two silver chromed gongs, to be played by the visitors when entering and exiting the exhibition space. The idea behind this sculpture is to emphasize the threshold between one space and the next, as an analogy of entering and exiting different states of consciousness.  

“The Translucent Mind” is a series of ethereal digital paintings revolving around questions like the limits of our conscious awareness (or the depths of our unconscious) and the prevalent uncertainty within the consensus reality we live by. In the exhibition space there is a set of fifteen TTM pieces, each accompanied by an inscription of their title on Carrara marble; and besides the above there are two large format TTM paintings on the ceiling windows with sunlight getting filtered through them at certain times during the day, consequently enhancing the intangible spirit of the exhibition space.

In addition to the onsite artworks there’s a sound piece in the shape of a playlist (available both on QQ and Spotify) intended to be listened to while visiting the show to make the experience more immersive.













































This
Ouroboric
State



Us, living and loving within an illusion.

We jump between realms without realising it,
and with a compass pointing inward we set out to a journey into the irrational.

All these experiences; 
mere reflections, projections or illusions. 

Trans-temporal echoes.

We live in a mirage, immersed in a world of ethereal impressions.

We braid our experience by dreaming aloud.
We can hold hands to navigate this collective hallucination.
We can hold each other tight to feel secure amidst the uncertain.

This stillness (this year of theoretical repose) acts like pond in the moon,
reflecting ancient emotions.

It brings up echoes of songs we shouldn’t have forgotten.

This is a circle becoming a cycle
—shape into meaning.

This ouroboric state is like a vision of the future,
like a dream of the present.

This is a glimpse into something greater. 
A circle of silence and devotion.
An opening into us.
Where we can finally overcome ourselves.
From the inner to the outer,
from the personal to the transpersonal,
and round again.

Ana Montiel, 2020
















THE TRANSLUCENT MIND
VII : Losing Sight of Ourselves (Communion)
Digital painting on clear acrylic  (51 x 37cm)
Inscribed Carrara marble (4,5cm x 22cm x 1.5cm)








THE TRANSLUCENT MIND
XV : Rising Above Ourselves (A Transpersonal Prayer), 2020 Digital painting on clear acrylic  (63 x 66cm)
Inscribed Carrara marble (2,2cm x 25,5cm x 1.5cm)























































THE TRANSLUCENT MIND
III : Braiding Our Experience by Dreaming Aloud, 2020
Digital painting on clear acrylic  (60 x 43cm)
Inscribed Carrara marble (3.4cm x 19cm x 1.5cm)













THE TRANSLUCENT MIND
V : Us Becoming a Song in Our Dreams, 2020 Digital painting on clear acrylic  (40 x 70cm)
Inscribed Carrara marble (7cm x 22,5cm x 1.5cm)















































THE TRANSLUCENT MIND
VIII : At Nights We Rise Above Reason to Settle in a State of Ecstasy, 2020 Digital painting on clear acrylic  (75 x 53cm)
Inscribed Carrara marble (7cm x 32cm x 1.5cm)












































THE TRANSLUCENT MIND
II : Reflections, Projections, Illusions, 2020
Digital painting on clear acrylic  (45x40cm)
Inscribed Carrara marble (7,6cm x 27cm x 1.5cm)




THE TRANSLUCENT MIND
XIV : This Ouroboric State. Like a Vision of the Future, Like a Dream of the Present, 2020
Digital painting on clear acrylic  (30 x 67cm)
Inscribed Carrara marble (3.2cm x 20cm x 1.5cm)











































THE TRANSLUCENT MIND
XIII : In a Circle of Silence and Devotion (Undercurrents)
Digital painting on clear acrylic  (30 x 67cm)
Inscribed Carrara marble (6,2cm x 19,4cm x 1.5cm)






THE TRANSLUCENT MIND
XII : Reason as Inner Utopia, 2020
Digital painting on clear acrylic  (51 x 37cm)
Inscribed Carrara marble (1,9cm x 20cm x 1.5cm)

























































I tried for this selection to have a rather ethereal undertone, in line with the realm of ideas I explored with “Us as a Poem of Delusion”, the site specific I made for UCCA Dune museum.

The artworks that are part of “Us as a Poem of Delusion” reflect on the limits of our conscious knowledge and wonders about our unconscious depths. Is this we are sharing a hyperreal lucid dream? Is our perception a tidal lock of sorts that keeps showing us whatever we inadvertently choose? Are we stuck in Zhuang Zhou's butterfly paradox?

We all gravitate constantly between different states of consciousness, yet all these transitions are so fluid that sometimes it’s difficult to be sure if we are awake, asleep or in a deep meditative state for example. Sometimes we may even be experiencing different states of consciousness at the same time without being able to pinpoint them in an accurate way.

The selection from this playlist is pretty eclectic and spans many decades, yet everything shares a bit of a numinous undertone. Drones are also very present, as I find their continual vibration help considerably in taking us into a meditative mood that makes the veil between states thinner. They are arranged in a very specific order that makes them work as a solid entity.  



























THE TRANSLUCENT MIND
X : Us, Misunderstanding the Sublime, 2020 Digital painting on clear acrylic  (70 x 41cm)
Inscribed Carrara marble (2,3cm x 33cm x 1.5cm)








THE TRANSLUCENT MIND
I : A Compass Pointing Inward (Journey Into the Irrational), 2020 Digital painting on clear acrylic  (75 x 53cm)
 Inscribed Carrara marble (7,7cm x 28cm x 1.5cm)



THE TRANSLUCENT MIND
IV : A Pond in the Moon Reflecting Ancient Emotions, 2020
Digital painting on clear acrylic  (75 x 53cm)
Inscribed Carrara marble (7cm x 32cm x 1.5cm)









THE TRANSLUCENT MIND
IX : Illusory Limits, 2020
Digital painting on clear acrylic  (40 x 70cm)
Inscribed Carrara marble (1,7cm x 21cm x 1.5cm)