“The present is formed only from the past, and what is found in the effect was already in the cause.” —Henri Bergson.
TEMPUS FUGIT: TIME FLIES
Leonardo Casas García
In Paloma Castillo’s embroideries, the psychic current that flows beneath the surface of everyday consciousness is conveyed through surprising and unexpected juxtapositions of images. Each scene unfolds in vibrant color and substantial value contrasts, giving form to narratives that reflect the complexities and contradictions of contemporary society. In Tempus Fugit, her new solo exhibition at Isabel Croxatto Galería, Castillo focuses on the theme of time’s transience. Her narrative thread is oriented around the relationship between her creative process and the paradox of permanence and dissolution, proposing a series of works in which pop icons, wild creatures, and even the artist herself converge.
“Mental Representation” is a series of four self-portraits in which Castillo appears alongside different figures, whose symbolic resonances range from the dreamlike to the magical. A frog, a hare, an iron, and a snake appear, respectively, acting as projections of the artist’s inner world. While each work allows for open interpretations and rich associative play, the presence of the artist grounds the symbolic charge of each composition, lending it a deeper meaning. Castillo faces the viewer directly, with subtle and involuntary variations in framing and gaze, evoking the classic strips of four instant photographs taken in a booth after inserting a coin. In Mental Representation III (Self-Portrait with Iron), the ever-present domestic object rests, ablaze, atop the artist’s head, hinting at an ambivalent symbolic relationship between love and weariness toward everyday tools. In Mental Representation IV (self-portrait with hare), the animal appears atop her head, perhaps resting, perhaps poised to leap. In literature, the hare is a liminal creature, dwelling at the threshold of transitions. Its excellent vision allows it to move through dusk and dawn, eluding predators. Mythologically, its ability to appear and disappear links it to the mortal and immortal aspects of the self. In Mental Representation II (self-portrait with snake), the serpent gliding across the artist’s face evokes a creature of ominous fascination—creator, progenitor, and destroyer. In alchemical symbolism, when it bites its tail, it signals a cycle closing and beginning again; when it sheds its skin, it heralds transformation and rebirth.
In a distinct section of the exhibition, three embroideries—including two Chilean flags and a portrait of Kim Jong-un—explore celebrity culture and how specific imaginaries infiltrate and shape our reality. In Pikachú, the national flag supports the tender image of the beloved cartoon character, alluding to the pervasive impact of Japanese animation in shaping lifestyle and behavioral codes across different social groups. Beyond the avalanche of products under the Pokémon label, the market offers consumers the chance to become a trainer, a Pokemón[1], or even to adopt it as an anti-capitalist symbol. In Eat Me, the logo of a “traditional” Kentucky-based fast food chain sits atop the national emblem, a reminder of its omnipresence in daily life, not only encouraging poor nutrition but also acting as a subtle, normalized form of corporate and cultural colonization. In The King Is Naked, North Korea’s supreme leader is portrayed with the grimace of a sumo wrestler, wearing nothing but a medallion with a red star—perhaps a stand-in for his ideology—accompanied by a cat that takes a suggestive position in the foreground. Drawing on Hans Christian Andersen’s famous tale, the work examines the cult of personality that many world leaders have now adopted, often becoming media celebrities. Castillo plays visually with the ambiguity between a fabricated public image and the hidden truth beneath the façade.
The pieces "Room Service" and "Je Suis Snob" unfold in a mysterious play of appearance and seduction. Embroidered on damask fabric, they stand apart for their restrained color palette, offset by striking details. Echoing vintage advertisements for men’s grooming accessories once found in gentlemen’s magazines, the character in Je Suis Snob casts a sidelong glance while sporting a slightly askew bright red tie. In Room Service, set against a sequin backdrop, the protagonist looks out at us with alluring red lips. Like a dreamlike vision, the seductive interplay between these characters evokes a nostalgic atmosphere—a time gone by, or perhaps a fleeting moment still occurring somewhere, living only in memory.
In Tempus Fugit, Paloma Castillo captures fleeting moments from her daily life and re-signifies them, defying logical thought and inviting the viewer to embrace speculative interpretation. The magic of her visual language lies in the integration of a psychic dimension that metaphorically resonates from within her imagination, manifesting as a universal impulse.
