Cautivo Unbound
Welcome to the first-draft sketches of Cautivo Unbound a series that pierces the veneer of an unseen New York City. At the heart of this collection are candid portraits and still-life images that capture a moment of raw confrontation with the urban environment. These photographs, fragmented and reassembled in post-production, offer a stark glimpse into the relationship between destruction and creation, as well as the enigmatic allure they possess even in their nascent stages.
My artistic inquiry probes deeply into the nature of human connections — the physical and the missed, the emotional and the distracted — particularly against the backdrop of our increasing affinity for technology. In this segment of the series, each subject directly engages with the camera, forging a potent, unspoken dialogue with the viewer. This stands in contrast to the series' complementary part, deliberately withheld from online presentation, where the subjects are engrossed with their cellular phones, symbolizing a diverted attention from human to technological tethering.
I have chosen to share these initial compositions to not only offer a window into the developmental phases of my artistic process but also because these first drafts exude an inherent strength and mystery. Their unfinished state is intentional, capturing the raw interaction of gaze and lens, and subsequently, gaze and viewer.
Upon completion, Cautivo Unbound will consist of 18 works, with each commanding presence as a 90 x 72 inch (228.6 x 182.8 cm) dye sublimation aluminum print, each work spliced in two then rejoined and healed in Kintsugi. These will be released in a limited edition of three, alongside one artist's proof. This glimpse into the early stages of Cautivo Unbound is an invitation to experience the potency of nascent art and to witness the evolution of these pieces from powerful first impressions to their fully realized forms.
As you encounter "Cautivo Unbound," you are invited to ponder the silent yet profound narratives being woven between the subjects and yourself, bridging the gap between the viewer and the viewed, and witnessing the transformation of fleeting connections into enduring expressions.