Video José Unda Series Descriptions

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José Unda speaks to why he paints in series

Each of us has our own shadow, formed out of our attempts to adapt to cultural expectations. In analytical psychology, the shadow is part of the unconscious mind and is composed of repressed ideas or desires and shortcomings. In our shadow we keep secrets and yet the shadow can reveal important things to us. José believes we can explore how our own shadow can be both a good ally and an enemy to us. In José's Shadow paintings, there are black shapes, which are not only dead space, but rather the dark shapes have many bright colours within them that reveal themselves upon closer look. José painted the Shadow series during the pandemic, when there was a shadow cast upon all humankind. Collectively, we experienced something bad, but we overcame it. In the shadow, metaphorically speaking, we can find the light. Difficult experiences can be ones to learn from and we can become wiser and stronger as a result.

José's Photons series came to him because of his lived experience and fascination with science and the study of light. A photon is a particle of light which essentially is a packet of electromagnetic radiation -- the basic unit of all light. José says that in Ecuador there is light for ~12 hours a day and the light is generous. Much like Johannes Vermeer, a Dutch painter in the 1600s, who was well-known for his depiction of light, José uses his own fascination to interpret light in his series called 'Photons'. He uses mixed media and explores acrylics, oils and his own visual language, but what the viewer sees is a reflection of the viewer's own state of mind. In nature we don't have rigid lines, and everything is organic – he reflects that in his work.

In the Cells series, José explores the way that cell-like patterns repeat themselves at both the macro and micro levels in the universe. Scientists have found that nature’s order is emerging in patterns large and small, from the vast cosmic web to the tiny arrangement of genes on chromosomes. What we see in a cell through the microscope is similar to what we see in the sky through a telescope. José explains that there is no rivalry between the macro and micro, but rather an important connection, similar to that of the human pysche (comprised of mind and soul or spirit). Within the Cells series, José uses organic and fluid soft shapes to represent cells. The dark background is used to highlight the brighter shape in the foreground

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