Salt and Fire: Artist Guillermo Fornes delves into the tension between two opposing forces

Since ancient times, salt has been valued for its ability to preserve, purify, and impart flavor. Fire, meanwhile, has since time immemorial represented transformative energy , life force, and cleansing power. In some cultures, the combination of salt and fire is considered ritually very powerful.

This is the idea behind Lasal , the new (and impressive) project by artist Guillermo Fornes , which will be on display at the Fish Market in Alicante until October 26th. The project, curated by Rafel Sierra , is conceptually based on a Land Art action carried out by Fornes in the Salinas de Ibiza Natural Park, in the salt mountains of Salinera Española, and is realized at the Fish Market in Alicante through four videos that capture this action, an installation composed of eight tables simulating salt pools , and 22 large-format canvases. The project is also completed with a limited-edition author's book.

“ Lasal unites the earthly with fire and water and expresses one of the oldest concepts in the universe : duality. ' Lasal reflects the two opposing forces of nature,' explains Guillermo Fornes, who through this project reflects on the essence of nature and its social and economic dimensions, through the ancient sustainable management of salt flats.

Fornes's work questions the relationship between science and economics and our ecosystem of life. The artist seems to be telling us that the human measure of consumption as the soul of civilization's growth has been lost: it is no longer humans who control what is necessary for a dignified and humane life, but rather a jungle of increasingly incomprehensible and impenetrable algorithms.

But Fornes's Lasal project has multiple readings, and can also be interpreted as a denunciation of the climate upheaval we are experiencing, which in turn translates into social and cultural upheaval.

Guillermo Fornes has been reflecting on all these concepts that Lasal raises for a decade. He did so, for example, with Geria , a project carried out in Lanzarote, on the slopes of Timanfaya, which established a reflection on the creative power of fire . The work Fornes has developed in recent years is based on ephemeral Land Art actions, and from there, creates visual works that support his discourse of reflection and creative process, and that allow the viewer to live a unique aesthetic experience by interacting with objects, places, and landscapes.