Pablo Martinez Muñiz
Vanitas 2.0
24 January - 30 January 2020


The artistic genre of the still life was widely practiced in the European Baroque, having such notable examples as the case of the spanish artist, Juan Sánchez Cotán. The term vanitas, in reference to the still lifes made at this time, was related to the emptiness and insignificance of things. The series presented below delves into the ephemeral technology and its programmed obsolescence. It presents, as if it were a cabinet of curiosities, some technological artifacts that were innovative at the time but today are unusable.

In addition to the outdated technology present in these images, the three still lifes, as a narrative triptych, are complemented by a series of objects that provide symbolic meanings.

In the first image, the sculpture Triunfo by the artist Héctor Orruño questions precisely the passage of time and the insignificance of living in a world of transition, galloping a horse that is death over human existence.

In the central image of the triptych, the Greek sphinx interrogates and predicts in the form of an enigma, always attentive to the gaze of the god Poseidon.

Finally, in the third image, with an ironic look and playful attitude, some Foo Dogs of fragile blue porcelain protect the place while waiting for good omens.

Pablo Martinez Muñiz (b. 1978, Santander, Spain) lives and works in Madrid. He is a photographer and artist. He also holds a PhD in Fine Arts (Photography from the Universidad Complutense of Madrid.

His artistic practice combines creation, education and research in photography and visual arts. These are three aspects that enrich his artistic work.

Some of his photographic works has been published in El Pais Semanal, Yorokobu, Gestalten, Dezee Designboom and XXI Magazine.