Daniel Correa Mejía‘s paintings, characterized by its vivid colors which illuminate forms from within, crystallize a dreamlike inner world: unfamiliar landscapes undulate across the canvas as if moved by a spiritual force, and celestial bodies are seen presiding over human life. In them, we see flamboyant, radiant bodies — whether in movement, at rest, or in quiet contemplation —passionately spring across the canvas. The artist’s figures are alive in the most primordial sense of the word: espousing a connection with the universe, as well as the Self, they evince an honest appreciation for existence. Daniel Correa Mejía’s work is rife with recurrent figures and symbols that evoke both natural and spiritual forces: the moon, which he relates to femininity, is an especially frequent motif. Millenary associations to progress, enlightenment, and fertility immediately spring to mind— the association of moonlight to water, another vital figure across his works, likewise conjures up powerful unconscious images. These frequent associations participate in the construction of the artist’s aesthetic vernacular. In his figurative practice, autobiographical elements often seep into this visual world. In these moments, the process of painting is akin to catharsis, and the results are revealing of states of mind that are both deeply personal and highly
relatable. Yet, even as the characters might be in part inspired by himself, and past or present friends and lovers, they are in fact receptacles for the spectator’s own awareness: the work’s symbology invokes collective images that exist within each person’s subconscious, effectively communicating a message to the viewer. Far from passive representations of life, the images are mementos recovered from the depths of Daniel’s psyche, becoming totems or archetypes brimming with pathos. There is a distinctly spiritual message that underlies Correa Mejía’s body of work. Most of all, his works exhort the interconnectedness of all beings, which he continuously observes through the primal awareness of his surroundings. The paintings reflect the spiritual dichotomies that arise from such unmediated observation. In uncertain times, it is sometimes necessary to return to that primordial connection to ourselves and to the world at large— and in case one forgets, Daniel’s paintings are there to remind us.