In “Alegorías Perdidas,” a new exhibition of paintings by Berlin-based artist Paolo Salvador, now on view at Peres Gallery in Berlin, animals trek across nearly every canvas. Under acid pink skies and between royal blue trees, large wild cats and dog-like creatures walk in unexpected harmony with human figures, themselves in various states of disarray.

The works have the strange effect of seeming to depict both a primordial past and a dystopian future at the same time—which is intentional. The Lima-born artist has said that he strives to transform the personal into the allegorical. Indeed, the nearly archetypical figures he depicts, who are pictured wandering through open, undefined expanses of color or appear alone inside a home, are based on selfies that Salvador has taken in his studio (though without being told, it would be hard to guess that these images were all based on one individual.)  

Installation view of “Alegorías Perdidas,” 2020. Courtesy of Peres Projects.

Instead, these images capture the feeling of general human loneliness—one that speaks to this strange moment in time when isolation is a means of presevering health. 

Harkening to the imagery of Mesoamerica, Salvador conflates imagery of man and animal with his own past and memories of his life in Peru, making them one in the same. In this sense, his dream-like canvases capture the universal stories of all those far from home and working to carry their pasts into the present. 

See images of “Alegorías Perdidas” below.

Paolo Salvador, No Digas Nada (2020). Courtesy of Peres Projects.

Paolo Salvador, Sofia (2020). Courtesy of Peres Projects.

Paolo Salvador, Millenium (2020). Courtesy of Peres Projects.

Paolo Salvador, Dream Talk (2020). Courtesy of Peres Projects.

Paolo Salvador, San Pedro y Runa (2020). Courtesy of Peres Projects.

“Paolo Salvador: Alegorías Perdidas” is on view at Peres Projects through July 31, 2020.