Ahora
The work “Ahora” consists of four graphite pencil drawings on paper, each measuring approximately 12.6 by 15 inches.
The observation of nature serves as the starting point of my practice; every aspect in its vastness stirs questions in my daily work. This series is conceived through the observation of the natural foliage of a single location, captured through photographs taken along metric temporal lines of minutes, hours, and days.
From these photographs begins an exploration of how time could be drawn. The fundamental ontological consideration for reflection was Aristotle’s definition of time, following the traditional understanding of it, as developed within the framework of Book IV (217b 29) of the Physics. Aristotle sets forth two essential principles to grasp time: first, the researcher must ask whether time exists or not (its existential status); and second, if it does exist, what its nature is whether it arises from natural wear or is governed by laws of the demise of the tangible.
Considering that my work starts by photographing natural settings governed by natural wear, which flows from a past to conceive a future, time is composed of two parts: past and future. The present is excluded, since the “now” never truly exists, negating itself the moment it is declared. Thus, time would not exist in an absolute sense, but only relatively, depending on the observer.
In my own interpretation, the future will be at some point, but it is not yet; the past was at some point, meaning it ceased to be. This paradox casts doubt on the existence of time, as that which consists of non-existent parts can hardly be considered part of being.
Aristotle argues that, for something like time to exist, at least two conditions must be met: first, that all or some of its parts must exist to be measurable; second, that these existing parts must have extension within the continuum to which they belong, allowing the creation of an extended temporal line.
Therefore, to discover how to draw time, I must first ensure a materiality or physical existence in the drawing, and that these objects form part of a material whole that allows a measurable continuity of the temporal existence of a “now.”
While I cannot offer a definitive answer to the problem of the existence of time, I do propose my own physical interpretation through drawing. The tangible presence and modes of being of these drawings in physical reality provide essential elements to advance the question of the nature of time.