Berenice Vargas Bravo, Mis ojos, 2025
Acrylic, oil, and oil stick on muslin
24 × 18 inches
Mis ojos, one of the artist’s most intimate newest works, belongs to a group of paintings in which the act of looking becomes central as the gaze embodies the consciousness itself. It implores the inquiry, ‘what does it mean to see through someone else’s eyes? What does it mean to look at something without truly seeing it? What are the implications of helping someone see, as a gesture of care?’ The painting’s scene unfolds in an undefined landscape, enclosed by thick vegetation that forms an almost claustrophobic wall. Here, la grieta is revealed in the rendered eyes at the center of the composition, with their elongated oval shapes. Made with oil stick to resemble lines drawn in crayon, it is not simply another painterly element, but a material mark left directly on the surface. This distinction is crucial. The eyes are drawn, not painted—as if they were scrawled into the character’s hands.