#09622 Amparo Segarra

The composition presents a fragmented collage, assembled from disparate photographic and printed elements. A stark black border frames the work, immediately isolating it and creating a sense of deliberate confinement. Within this boundary, several distinct visual narratives intersect and collide.
On the left side, a coastal scene unfolds. Here we see a lighthouse standing sentinel against a grassy slope, suggesting stability and guidance amidst an undefined landscape. The presence of a woman in tailored clothing, gazing upwards with an expression that is both contemplative and slightly melancholic, introduces a human element to this otherwise impersonal vista. Her attire – a suit jacket and long skirt – implies a certain formality and perhaps a disconnect from the natural setting.
The central portion of the work is dominated by a large, vividly rendered image of a pig’s head. Its scale and prominence disrupt any sense of harmony or easy interpretation. The animals features are rendered with unsettling detail, creating an immediate visceral impact. This element introduces a jarring note of the grotesque, challenging any potential for idyllic representation.
Above the pig’s head, a group of women in bathing costumes is arranged in a linear fashion, their faces seemingly identical and their poses standardized. The year 1924 is superimposed over them, anchoring the image to a specific historical moment – the height of the Roaring Twenties and its associated cultural shifts regarding leisure and femininity. This juxtaposition of mass-produced imagery with the singular portrait of the woman on the left suggests themes of conformity versus individuality.
Further down, a beach scene unfolds, featuring sailboats against a sunset sky. A disembodied arm reaches out towards this idyllic view, disrupting the tranquility and hinting at an unseen presence or intervention. The use of photographic elements – the women in bathing suits, the coastal landscape, the sailboats – suggests a commentary on mass culture and its representation of leisure and desire.
The overall effect is one of disorientation and fragmentation. The disparate elements do not coalesce into a unified narrative but rather exist in a state of uneasy tension. The work seems to explore themes of modernity, consumerism, and the anxieties surrounding identity within a rapidly changing social landscape. The deliberate juxtaposition of beauty and grotesquery, order and chaos, suggests a critical perspective on the promises and pitfalls of progress.