El Vallé de Lagrimas curated by Kenny Schachter Paz de la Huerta
Paz de la Huerta (b.1984 in New York City, US) presents her first solo exhibition El Vallé de Lagrimas with Ruttkowski;68 in Paris, curated by Kenny Schachter.
Paz = peace. De la Huerta = of the orchard. ‘Ortus Conclusus,’ ‘an orchard, enclosed,’ is one of the names of the Virgin Mary. Peace of the secret or sacred enclosure. One looks for it, but no one will be spared. The wind of Karma crashes the door. The walls crumble. One is part of an ever-expanding web and inevitably drowns or is swept far away, up in the air. Goya made innumerable drawings and prints of people laughing or flying. Centuries and continents away, Sister Morgan stitched herself a white dress, covered long scrolls with figures of angels and, standing in front of them, played the trumpet, chased the devil away, and married Jesus.
Drugs are said to open the doors of perception but can also shut them down when the pain is constant, without remedy in one’s reasoning. Painting is a remedy too. I saw the photograph of a scroll painted by Paz. The scroll was on the floor, and all around it were photographs of children. All the children were smiling. Paz is a woman, an actress, a filmmaker, and a painter. Paz once was a girl. Paz once was a child. That child smiled and was happy. To recover that child, to recover that smile—it is a reasonable wish. But one can only dream of one’s wishes. And the dreaming is the best part, it is so much better than fulfilling the dream. And painting the dream is even better than dreaming it. So please, everyone, let it all fall down, silently. Paz painting, Paz dreaming, Paz returning to Paz.
text: Francesco Clemente