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Critical Essays

Miguel Angel Vargas (1973-)

 

Miguel Angel Vargas was born in Madrid, Spain, and graduated from EFTI photography school, one of the most prestigious schools in Spain. Vargas was awarded the 2nd prize from the SIGMA International Photography Prize (PREMIO SIGMA) in 2000, and his photography was published in the 207 issue of professional Spanish magazine ‘FOTO.’ In 2003, Vargas was awarded the 2nd prize at the Spanish Móstoles photography competition (La Casa de Cultura en Móstoles), and later had his solo exhibition at Galeria Museum (2003) and La Galeria de Arte Roberto Resino (2007, 2009). Vargas was the photographer behind the portfolio of Spanish sculptor Eduardo Rodriguez Osorio and collaborated on numerous occasions with various famous clothing brands. Vargas moved to Taiwan in 2011 and had his first solo exhibition “The Light Tells Stories (光在說故事)” in Taiwan in 2013 and published a photography collection under the same title. Vargas was named among the most representing artists by Canson Infinity in France and was invited to participate in Taipei Art Photo (2013), TDW Art Fair (2014), Taiwan Photo (2014), and Art Kaohsiung (2014). In 2015, the “Abstract Nature” series won Honorable Mention from the US IPA Int´l Photography Awards; selected works were displayed during the group exhibition at Atalante Gallery in 2016. In 2019, the “Abstract Nature No.1”  won Honorable Mention from the International Color Awards, “Rōnin” & “Kabuto” series were selected for Fine Art Photography Awards.

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Throughout the almost 20 years of his photography career, Miguel Angel Vargas went from traditional 35mm photography to modern digital camera, with travels that span from Spain and finally to Taiwan. The works of Vargas often depict artificial lighting, such as store signboards, car lights, and street lights, giving the entire image a surreal atmosphere. In this exhibition, Vargas applies LED lights to re-present the evening and night sky in the background while the subject resembles an illuminant in the vast universe, its meager existence containing massive spiritual energy. Abstract Nature No.1 displays the beauty of the mushroom form, symbolling wings in flight or floating flower petals, welcoming the dawning of victory. The light penetrates the semi-transparent surface and creates an ethereal appearance, intense emotions embodying into a lively expression of life. In his new works Rōnin and Kabuto, Vargas uses smoke to display varying substances, while the black background gives a sense of mystery. The subject gradually turns from being transparent to void and emptiness, then to a semi-transparent form with vague outlines, anxiously hinting to a wandering ghost that faces the obstacles of life with inner spiritual practices, inspiring strength and courage. 

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Telling Arts presented the ’SETA’ Miguel Angel Vargas Solo Exhibition in July 2017, the artist’s first solo exhibition in Taiwan throughout the past three years. This exhibition will showcase the artist’s recent representing works, such as the “Seta” and “Abstract Nature” series, while the 20 photography works from the new “Rōnin” and “Kabuto” series will be projected on the exhibition wall, displayed to the public for the very first time. These works depict emotions inspired by the lives and organisms of the natural world and the memories they trigger, reflecting the inner landscape of transformation and rebirth. 

范格斯（1973-）

 

范格斯 (Miguel Angel Vargas) 出生於西班牙馬德里，畢業於西班牙最負盛名的學校之一「馬德里EFTI攝影學校」，2000年即榮獲SIGMA國際攝影大賽第二名 (PREMIO SIGMA)，得獎作品刊登於西班牙專業攝影雜誌FOTO (第207期)，2003年榮獲西班牙Móstoles攝影大賽第二名 (La Casa de Cultura en Móstoles)，隨後陸續於馬德里藝廊Galeria Museum (2003) 和La Galeria de Arte Roberto Resino (2007, 2009) 舉辦個展，曾為西班牙雕塑家Eduardo Rodriguez Osorio拍攝作品集，亦多次與知名服裝設計品牌合作。2011年移居台灣，2013年首次於台灣舉辦個展，名為「光在說故事」，同時出版「光在說故事」攝影

書，獲法國Canson Infinity列選為具代表性的攝影師之一，受邀參與TAIPEI ART PHOTO (2013)、TDW ART FAIR (2014)、TAIWAN PHOTO (2014)、ART KAOHSIUNG (2014) 高雄藝術博覽會，2015年以“AbstractNature” (超自然)系列作品榮獲美國IPA(Int´l Photography Awards) 國際攝影大賽榮譽優選獎 (Honorable Mention)，得獎作品並獲邀於馬德里藝廊Atalante Gallery聯展(2016)展出，2019年以“Abstract Nature No.1” (超自然1) 榮獲International Color Awards 榮譽優選獎(Honorable Mention)、“Rōnin”(浪人) & “Kabuto”(兜)多件系列作品獲Fine Art Photography Awards入選。

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在將近20年的攝影職涯中，范格斯 (Miguel Angel Vargas) 經歷了傳統35mm底片相機到現代數位影像攝影，足跡遍佈西班牙直到至台灣定居。在他的作品，經常有拍攝現場人為的光線加入，例如：商店的招牌、車燈、路燈…等，使整個視覺的感受彷彿置身在奇幻世界中。這次展覽中，范格斯 (Miguel Angel Vargas) 運用LED燈光，重現入夜前後的天空色調作為背景，主體一如浩瀚宇宙空間裡的發光體，渺小的存在蘊含巨大的精神能量，“Abstract Nature No. 1” (超自然1) 作品中所展現出的蕈傘姿態之美，象徵飛舞的翅膀或花瓣迎接勝利到來，光線穿透半透明、空靈變貌，強烈的情感光譜爆發為生命力的鮮明體現。范格斯 (Miguel Angel Vargas) 在新作 “Rōnin” (浪人) 和 “Kabuto” (兜) 中，藉由煙以顯現不可見的物質，黑色的背景深邃且不可測，主體漸變的從空氣般純透明、到空虛空無，再到可透光但不定義其肢體輪廓的半透明，焦慮地暗喻遊蕩的幽靈，以內在的修行面對逆境，自我激發的堅定力量和勇氣。

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Telling Arts | 疊藝術於2017年7月舉辦「蕈息──范格斯攝影個展」，此為范格斯 (Miguel Angel Vargas) 睽違三年後的在台個展，展出其近年最具代表性的 “Seta” (蕈) and “Abstract Nature” (超自然) 兩個系列，並以投影牆呈現從未發表過的新系列 “Rōnin” (浪人) 和 “Kabuto” (兜) 共20多件攝影作品，以自然界的生命體或有機物為題觸發情感、衍生記憶，更是蛻變新生的內心寫照。

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