Untitled (from the series Deserto-Modelo)

This era, defined by human impact on the earth and widely referred to as the Anthropocene, has reignited longstanding debates on the “nature of nature.” Is nature merely the passive backdrop against which human actions play out? Is it an extractable resource to be depleted and commodified in the pursuit of progress and comfort? Or is nature an intricate mesh of interrelations and wondrously vibrant assemblages? Lucas Arruda’s small paintings of the series Deserto-Modelo reflect this debate, mirroring the ambiguities and anxieties humans have introduced when categorizing and discussing nature.

At first glance, Arruda’s dense, atmospheric paintings resemble pure abstraction. Minute, sharp brushstrokes meticulously applied in all directions coalesce into brown or green hazy masses. Upon closer examination, however, they reveal dreamlike seascapes at twilight or dawn, rolling banks of fog or clouds, and tropical forests with a lavish canopy of foliage. Arruda’s artistic prowess lies, precisely, in amplifying this liminal space between the sublime and tachistic— the semblance of recognizable shapes and their dissolution—both engaging with and troubling the long tradition of landscape painting. Reflecting on his approach, Arruda contends: “There’s a combination of mathematical and metaphysical impulses in my work. In a way, the only reason to call my works landscapes is cultural: it’s simply that viewers automatically register my format as a landscape.”

In as much as landscape paintings have traditionally been a space for artists’ experiment in composition and technical virtuosity, Arruda’s works transcend their basic framework as multilayered exercises in monochrome shades, texture, abstraction, and mnemonic image-production. Painted from recollection, these enigmatic tableaux lack specific geographical context and the presence of human figures, aligning with his exploration of metaphysical themes. By suggesting that the living world may possess its own form of communication and language of signs, Arruda implies that multispecies relationships hinge on recognizing the shared semiotic tendencies across all living beings and ecological compositions.

(Text written by TBA21 and used as wall label in the exhibition "The Ecologies of Peace", C3A, Córdoba, 2024)