NO TINC PARAULES

Arnal Ballester has never felt the least bit of enthusiasm for Plato and his myth of the cavern. On one occasion, I tried to reason with him about the solid grounds of the philosopher’s doctrine, but he answered me: “Dolores, no one has ever seen an idea, but here there are loads of shadows”, and as an example, he pointed to the shadow projected by the toothpick of the last olive that was left on the plate and which he then ate. “Thousands of unhappy souls –he continued-, have drowned pursuing invisible ideas, while others like to get some fresh air in the perfectly designed shade of the parasol”.
I suspected that he was trying to fool me, but the truth is that I did not know how to answer him; and I must admit that he was right when he said that shadows say much more about those who project them than their original figure.
This is what this book without words called No tinc paraules somehow relates. These images do not exist outside of themselves, although they do reflect many tangible elements that have been given body, such as drawings, objects, and printed strokes that have been transmuted by the action of modern technology. These images are like shadows, ethereal, or virtual as it is said these days, but much more forceful and real than the bodies that project them.

[ Dolores Fuzili, texto para la exposición "he perdido mi sombra", sala san Fernando, Cádiz, Junio 2000 ]

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