A House with a view

So what is the common thread that ties together the work of this Düsseldorf-based artist, what is her core theme? Baltazares questions ideas of identity and beauty, pointing out the fragility and sometimes absurdity of certain judgments or values held by (predominantly Western) societies. To this end, she employs humor, irony, and a color palette that instinctively attracts the viewer. In her current exhibition, this becomes clearer through the connection between the title and the work.

The latest small-format works on paper are called Saudades. This is a Portuguese word that has no direct 1:1 translation. The term describes a bittersweet melancholy, a backward-looking longing. What was is no longer realistically achievable. It exists only in our memory, which, as we know, is not always reliable: The dream unveils what the mind hides in shadow is the title of the large-format diptych. You can also purchase the entire universe in pocket size; it just needs to be unfolded: Unfold the Universe.

It is not surprising that Alejandra Baltazares cites Luis Buñuel as a strong influence on her own work rather than a visual artist. Like Buñuel, Baltazares also deals with questions such as: What is real? What is beauty? What is identity? He, too, commented on social norms and ideas with wit and irony. So I will conclude with a quote from the surrealist avant-garde filmmaker that fits perfectly with the works shown here: “Our dreams often begin where our imagination ends.”

Julia Ritterskamp, 2025