In the summer of 2019, I had the opportunity to visit a unique place created by nature. In the middle of a lush forest, crossed by a river, a few years ago a landslide had occurred that blocked the river and created a small lake. The consequence was that part of the forest was flooded. A huge uninhabited area emerged in the midst of the flowering of life.

WHAT THE LIGHT CONCEALS is the title of the visual proposal that arises from the approach to this forest mass that is located near the town of Cornilo, in Italy. Walking through this place I discovered, once again, that nature teaches us, in an overwhelming way, the close relationship that exists between light and shadow, between life and death, and how this connection can reach extraordinary levels of beauty.

I had been reflecting for some time on the relationship between life and its absence, and how, on some occasions, pain and beauty are strangely combined, leading the latter to meanings very far removed from the kindness and cordiality that art history has generally attributed to it.

More than documenting the place, I am interested in reflecting on this relationship, highlighting how the concept of beauty is modified by its proximity to that which is not pleasant, kind or harmonious. And how the contamination of this with ugliness turns it into something sublime. The flooded forest is used as a metaphor to talk about the human being, its processes of growth, vitality, degeneration and extinction. Text: Ignacio Llamas