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On Transitions and a Pictorial Approach to Them: Transcend, a series by Tiz Henriquez
by Paola Livas
When Carl Jung began writing his Liber Novus (widely known as The Red Book) in 1914, he knew he was going through an unprecedented transition in his life. He was preoccupied with what transcended his existence and his lifetime, facing the conviction that "the spirit of the depths" predated humanity and it is at the core of individual human existence. We are to acknowledge it and pursue it, he taught. One of the ways he deemed most effective for this pursuit is that of a language that could be no less than images or just so. "I speak in images. With nothing else can I express the words from the depths".
When examining Tiz Henriquez’s oeuvre, we must situate ourselves within the context of this unspeakable pursuit, where the creation of images compels an approach to one of the many ways the spirit of the depths manifests itself in worldly experience—the eternal transition from life to death and the return from death to life. Two main factors are present in her Transcend series: transitions and vision, and so is the way they affect each other.
A congenital condition has shaped Henriquez’s perception of the world since birth. The matter-of-factness of her inner vision though, that of her mind, has always accepted her reality as she sees it and celebrated it as individual. Hers is a triumph of cognition, and her vision leans toward a clairvoyance that is ever-present in both her work and her life. Her ability to swiftly project strokes and colors onto large canvases implies a vision at ease with the inherent blurriness of abstract painting. The medium is not coincidental but a sign of her personal quest for answers and her method of approaching them.
Then there is the theme of death; early powerful experiences with death have modeled the artist’s path toward spiritual awareness, thanatology, and sensitivity to what we feel but cannot see. Death is the central motif, but it is not, as traditionally conceived, the end of the line or a cut on the canvas. It is as much a part of the piece as it is a part of life—a necessary step in a process that often eludes us, so much larger than us that it challenges us to see it from afar. It challenges her to paint as a medium for expression and to allow this expression to be as expansive as it may. She paints in a trance where formal decisions (stroke, color, direction, composition) seem trivial or casual until she sees the big picture, and it all comes together in ways even she might not have imagined.
What lies beyond our worldly reach we must not fear but accept and experience in its entirety. Life is a chaotic array of all sorts of transitions happening at all times, death being one of them. Albeit the most uncertain, we must consider it a transition nonetheless—sometimes gradual like hues of blue blending softly into a seamless gradient, or sharp and untamed like a golden drop of paint across an otherwise harmonious composition. Henriquez’s painting is the pictorial manifestation of her spirit’s searches; as she delves into the "beyond" or "the depths," her images speak.
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”Facing our fears through acceptance opens us to the possibility of flourishing even after a loss. The liberation of the ego presents itself as a brave act to confront our fears, paradigms, and taboos, emotionally healing from the inevitability of death."
T.H
Tiz Henriquez's series "Transcend" is an artistic testimony that invites deep reflection on the duality of life and death. Each piece in this exhibition addresses the transience of existence and the transformation we experience in different stages of life. Through this invitation by the artist to increase self-awareness, the audience confronts emotions such as fear, pain, guilt, emptiness, attachment, and chaos.
The element of the mirror, in its symbolic function, leads us into a profound contemplation of the fundamental duality between life and death, the material and the spiritual. It makes us recognize the interconnection between these apparent opposites, transforming death into an essential reflection of life. This approach challenges the taboos surrounding death and invites us to integrate it as a fundamental part of our existence, death as part of the cycle, not as an end.
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Each step in this artistic journey addresses the raw and human emotions associated with facing death. From fear and taboo to the pain and sadness that accompany loss. The exhibition also explores the burden of guilt and the constant presence of emptiness. Attachment, considered by some as negative, is presented as an opportunity to enjoy each moment, revealing its positive side in the human experience.
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The exhibition highlights resilience as a process of rebirth and growth, comparable to the natural cycles of life. It explores the connection with nature, evidencing the inevitability of death in cycles and the constant possibility of new beginnings.
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Finally, the exhibition immerses us in the notion that we are part of an interconnected universe. The duality between our materiality and our soul blurs, and we realize that, as energy, we are connected in our past, present, and future.
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Through works in different formats and techniques, the artist offers a perspective that transcends the individual to embrace the unity of the cosmos. "Fabric of Life" is a call to explore our existence with courage, compassion, and openness to the constant transformation that is life itself.
TEXTO
“Al enfrentar nuestros miedos a través de la aceptación, nos abrimos a la posibilidad de florecer incluso después de una pérdida. La liberación del ego se presenta como un acto valiente para enfrentar nuestros miedos, paradigmas y tabúes, sanando emocionalmente de la inevitabilidad de la muerte”
T.H
La serie "Trascender" de Tiz Henriquez es un testimonio artístico que invita a una profunda reflexión sobre la dualidad de la vida y la muerte. Cada obra de esta exposición aborda la transitoriedad de la existencia y la transformación que experimentamos en las diferentes etapas de la vida. A través de esta invitación que hace la artista hacia el autoconocimiento, el público enfrenta emociones como el miedo, el dolor, la culpa, el vacío, el apego y el caos.
El elemento del espejo, en su función simbólica, nos adentra en una contemplación profunda de la dualidad fundamental entre la vida y la muerte, lo material y lo espiritual. Nos hace reconocer la interconexión entre estos opuestos aparentes, transformando la muerte en un reflejo esencial de la vida. Este enfoque desafía los tabúes que rodean a la muerte e invita a integrarla como parte fundamental de nuestra existencia, la muerte como parte del ciclo, no como un final.
Cada paso en este recorrido artístico aborda las emociones crudas y humanas asociadas con el proceso de enfrentar la muerte. Desde el miedo y el tabú hasta el dolor y la tristeza que acompañan a la pérdida, la exposición explora también la carga de la culpa y la constante presencia del vacío. El apego, considerado por algunos como negativo, se presenta como una oportunidad para disfrutar cada momento, revelando su lado positivo en la experiencia humana.
La exposición destaca la resiliencia como un proceso de renacimiento y crecimiento, comparable a los ciclos naturales de la vida. Se explora la conexión con la naturaleza, evidenciando la inevitabilidad de la muerte en los ciclos y la posibilidad constante de nuevos comienzos.
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Finalmente, la exposición nos sumerge en la noción de que somos parte de un universo interconectado. La dualidad entre nuestra materialidad y nuestra alma se desdibuja, y nos damos cuenta de que, como energía, estamos conectados en nuestro pasado, presente y futuro. A través de obras en diferentes formatos y técnicas, la artista ofrece una perspectiva que trasciende lo individual para abrazar la unidad del cosmos. "Tejido de Vida"; es un llamado a explorar nuestra existencia con valentía, compasión y apertura a la transformación constante que la vida nos ofrece.