T.O. [Theater of Operations]

At the heart of the the latest exhibition by artist Arnaldo Simón, is the concept of Theater of Operations, a military term used to define a conflict zone. Simón employs this notion as a framework to explore the relationships between history, destruction, and reconstruction, delving into how architecture, objects, and even the human body bear witness to these processes.

Arnaldo Simón is a meticulous and cerebral artist who examines history through its material traces. In this exhibition, featuring large-format drawings, sculptures, and installations, Simón immerses us in a complex visual essay on the architecture, the war, the urbanism, the violence, and the persistence of memory in objects.

Among the standout pieces are four large-scale diptychs and three smaller ones, where the artist uses graphite drawings to depict fragments of military and civilian structures, which, in juxtaposition, reveal their formal similarities.

A 6 x 10-meter wall installation, simulating vertical asphalt embedded with aluminum pieces shaped like bones, is titled Diubis, referencing the young man killed during the protests in Cuba on July 11, 2021.

The series Firmitas, Utilitas et Venustas, composed of 14 laser-cut acrylic templates, represents iconic moments of destruction and violence in history, from Hiroshima to the fall of the WorldTrade Center. These pieces function as molds that encapsulate the traces of devastation with a visual subtlety that contrasts with their symbolic weight.

The exhibition also includes three sculptures and a video. Among them, La Main d’après Giacometti is a reinterpretation of the renowned sculpture The Hand by Giacometti, where a severed arm, detached from its absent body, is transformed into an artifact that proposes restoration or relief—a cyborg prosthesis that retains its tragic strangeness and symbolism.

The RoaringTwenties is a sound sculpture that blends the sounds of wars and protests with the laughter of world leaders. The title evokes the frenzy of the 1920s, serving as a warning for our time.

Untitled features a megaphone embedded in concrete, a metaphor for censorship and oppression, in dialogue with the video En San Sebastián, which depicts a protest barrier submerged in water, distorted by the current.

T.O.(Theater of Operations) is a visual and intellectual exploration that invites us to rethink power structures, the legacy of violence, and the fragility of history.