Contemporary Artist
Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, asks his father for help when Odysseus runs away to the sea and becomes blind, arousing his father’s anger. In this work, Poseidon is represented at the top with the icon of a sea monster and at the bottom we have the island’s cyclops.
Vinhos Empatia Superior, Empatia Vital e tinta da China sobre papel de aguarela
30,5 x 21,5 cm
2024
From September 5th to October 5th, 2024, the prestigious exhibition “Le Mur des Collectionneurs” took place, showcasing a stunning collection of contemporary art and curatorial expertise. Hosted at the Sociedade Nacional de Belas Artes, the event brought together a wide array of artists and collectors, highlighting the creative dialogue between art and language, inspired by the conceptual legacy of Joseph Kosuth.
Among the standout artists featured was Lola Escámez, a Spanish contemporary artist based in Portugal, who captivated attendees with her artwork “Cyclopes: The Breath of Euripides”. Created using wine and ink, her innovative approach demonstrated the power of combining traditional mediums with modern perspectives.
This groundbreaking event underscored the evolving role of curators as creators, bridging the worlds of art and philosophy, and providing a platform for artistic expression at its finest.
This work represents the idea that the Cyclops were considered lawless, stateless, dedicated only to pastoralism and ignorant of agriculture. According to this, Lola Escamez, shows Polyphemus is represented trying to dance when he is in ecstasy after the 3 wineskins that Ulysses (Odysseus) gave him to drink.
Empatia + Vital + Chinese ink
30.5 x 21.5
2024
In this composition, Lola Escamez once again highlights the triumph of the rational over the irrational. Notice symbols such as the image inside the cyclops of Ulysses (Odysseus) with a pensive look, representing the plot he is putting together to escape the clutches of Polyphemus. Note also the textures of the political map and the representation of the nomadic movement, both of the Cyclopes and of Odysseus himself, a symbol that coincidentally unites the two rivals.
Empatia + Vital + Chinese ink
52.5 x 42.5
2024
This composition represents the island of the Cyclops, made up of caves and cliffs. The lower part of the composition is represented by a deep cave headed by a large mouth with teeth, showing once again the irrational nature of these monsters and the textures representing the topographic maps represent nomadic movement.
Empatia + Vital + Chinese ink
73.5 x 104.5
2024
In Greek mythology, Telemus was a cyclops son of Eurymos with the gift of prophecy. Telemus had predicted to Polyphemus that he would be blinded by a human named Ulysses and this image represents Polyphemus’ lament because the omen was fulfilled.
Empatia + Popis&Vital + Chinese ink
77.5 x 57.5
2024
This work narrates the moment in which Ulysses blinds Polyphemus with the olive tree stick and the eye starts to bleed. This moment represents the suffering of the Cyclops, it can be noticed especially by the large central blood stain that appears in the image.
Empatia + Popis&Vital + Chinese ink + saffron + bleach
31.5 x 21
2024
This work speaks of the migratory movement or the nomadic movement of the Cyclopes, we must speak that when Ulysses goes to the island of the Cyclopes what he is looking for is hospitality and what he finds is hostility, repeating this process throughout history and today.
in the painting in the upper part appears a darker figure as triumphant, representing the immigrant and the lower part would be representing neptune, so we can see perfectly that it is a victorious nomad emerging from the absorbing waters.
Empatia + Popis&Vital + Chinese ink
21 x 30
2024
“The Haunt of Blindness” focuses on the moment when Polyphemus has realized that he has been blinded by the hands of Ulisses. It is possible to emphasize the yellowish tone around the eyes, representing the pain of the blindness, besides recognizing in the right part a series of characters like atomicos that give mention to all the ciclopes of the island when they make the attempt of help and clearly the geographic political textures representing the nomadic movement of these ciclopes.
Empatia + Popis&Vital + Chinese ink + bleach + saffron
31.5×21
2024
In this work, we can see the moment in which the cyclops is blinded by Polyphemus, the stakes that appear oriented towards the eye of Polyphemus and the blood stain that comes out of it stand out in the work.
This piece of art is currently at the Benkovak’s Museum in Croatia.
Empatia + Popis&Vital + Chinese ink + saffron + bleach
31.5 x 21
2024
