#09: El Árbol (The Tree) 2008

Marina Pallares created '#09: El Arbol' (The Tree), using what looks like a lino-cut. Imagine the artist digging into that surface, carving out all these lines to make the tree emerge. It’s a bold image, but with a sense of humor. I love the way the bottles hang from the branches like strange fruit, it's surreal. The way the lines are cut around the tree makes it feel like it's glowing, doesn't it? I wonder if Pallares was thinking about other artists who use trees as metaphors. There's Yves Tanguy, for example, whose strange landscapes have a similar vibe, where familiar objects are transformed into something totally unexpected. But Pallares brings something else to the party, a kind of folk art sensibility. You can feel her hand in every line, and it makes the tree feel alive, like it has its own story to tell. It reminds you that art is about exchange and ideas, and the unexpected.