Out of Silence

In today’s society, it is practically impossible to find a sanctuary of silence: noise pollution invades every aspect of our world, and it is necessary to seek silence within oneself. In Eastern culture, there is a greater awareness of this need; thus, the inner gaze and absolute stillness are practiced with profound assiduity. Silence allows the mind to slow down and, therefore, discover the essence that truly shapes us.

At the end of the summer of 2016, Miguel Soler-Roig traveled to one of the most inaccessible regions of Tibet to hear the first words of a Lama who had maintained a vow of silence for three years, and thus share with him a spiritual life that manifests in every action and in the way of relating to the world.

Through these photographs, we are shown the daily occupations of the Lama and his immediate environment, where stillness and darkness refer to silence, and light and movement to awakening and the paths of learning, which are perceived in the veiled symbols and visual metaphors that also culminate in a powerful videographic work.

Silence can be very powerful; many things can be said without uttering a single word. The nature of silence is calm and solid. However, stillness can also be invoked through movement, by undertaking a physical journey that leads to mental reflection. This is the meaning of the meditation labyrinth brought into the gallery and revealed to the visitor. Miguel Soler-Roig proposes an experience of introspection to feel peace and imbue the viewer with profound mysticism.

His training has been influenced by the Bauhaus and the new Swiss typographic style. He studied at the Basel School of Art. Later, he earned a Master of Fine Arts at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence. For several years he lived and worked in New York, and upon his return to Spain, he continued his training in photography, obtaining a Master in Photographic Art at the Istituto Europeo di Design in Madrid (IED), in addition to participating in numerous international photography workshops.

Some of the most prominent spaces where he has exhibited his work include: the RISD Museum of Art in Providence; the Venice Arsenale; the PhotoEspaña festival in Madrid; the Valentín de Madariaga Foundation in Seville; the CCDJ in Ibiza; and Flux//Zone Gallery Week End México 2018.

Delmari Romero Keith

Curator Flux / Lab