{"id":2052498,"date":"2026-07-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-19T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2052498"},"modified":"2026-07-20T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T21:00:00","slug":"presence-memory-and-time-merge-in-the-surreal-works-of-architects-of-absence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2052498","title":{"rendered":"Presence, Memory, and Time Merge in the Surreal Works of \u2018Architects of Absence\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content prose-colossal max-w-none\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default entry-header is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"colo-post-featured-image wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1994\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/architects-4.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"a surreal painting by Remedios Varo of Icarus flying through an architectural space\" style=\"object-fit:cover\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Remedios Varo, \u201cAprendiz de \u00cdcaro\u201d (1959) graphite and red chalk on Bristol board, 32 1\/4 x 35 3\/4 inches (framed). All images courtesy of the artists and Gallery Wendi Norris, San Francisco, shared with permission<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group post-title is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0bc941e6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h1 class=\"alignfull wp-block-post-title\">Presence, Memory, and Time Merge in the Surreal Works of \u2018Architects of Absence\u2019<\/h1>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-meta is-layout-flex wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-07-20T11:30:00-05:00\">July 20, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"taxonomy-category wp-block-post-terms\"><a class=\"category-art\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/art\/\" rel=\"tag\">Art<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/author\/kmothes\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name__link\">Kate Mothes<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-share-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing has-visible-labels has-icon-color is-style-logos-only is-layout-flex wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-is-layout-flex\">\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-facebook has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F07%2Farchitects-of-absence-exhibition-painting-drawing%2F&amp;title=Presence%2C%20Memory%2C%20and%20Time%20Merge%20in%20the%20Surreal%20Works%20of%20%26%238216%3BArchitects%20of%20Absence%27\" aria-label=\"Share\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tShare\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-mail has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#06397573646c6365723b56746375636865632334452334364b636b69747f233445233436676862233436526f6b632334364b637461632334366f68233436726e632334365573747463676a2334365169746d7523343669602334362334302334353e3437302335444774656e6f726365727523343669602334364764756368656323343120676b763d6469627f3b56746375636865632334452334364b636b69747f233445233436676862233436526f6b632334364b637461632334366f68233436726e632334365573747463676a2334365169746d7523343669602334362334302334353e3437302335444774656e6f7263657275233436696023343647647563686563233431233436234334233e36233f322334366e7272767523354723344023344071717128726e6f756f7565696a697575676a2865696b2334403436343023344036312334406774656e6f72636572752b69602b676475636865632b637e6e6f646f726f69682b76676f68726f68612b627467716f6861233440\" aria-label=\"Email\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tEmail\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><button class=\"simplefavorite-button preset\" data-postid=\"475965\" data-siteid=\"1\" data-groupid=\"1\" data-favoritecount=\"0\"><i class=\"sf-icon-bookmark\"><\/i>Bookmark<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cNothingness lies coiled in the heart of being,\u201d philosopher and writer Jean-Paul Sartre posited in <em>Being and Nothingness<\/em>, published in 1943. It\u2019s in this book that he also shares an anecdote about stepping into a cafe, where he was to meet a friend. In scanning the room with its other patrons, furniture, and noise, he was tuned into the fact that his friend was not there, an experience infused with an <a href=\"https:\/\/theamericanscholar.org\/the-presence-of-absence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">acute awareness<\/a>\u2014an absence that transformed into a kind of presence.<\/p>\n<p><em>Architects of Absence<\/em>, a group exhibition at <a href=\"https:\/\/gallerywendinorris.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gallery Wendi Norris<\/a>, plumbs this dialogue between two seemingly contradictory elements. Colossal readers may recognize the work of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/tags\/dabin-ahn\">Dabin Ahn<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/tags\/selva-aparicio\">Selva Aparicio<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/tags\/remedios-varo\">Remedios Varo<\/a> (1908-1963) alongside Marcel Jean (1900-1993) and Yaxkin Fuentes-Barrientos. The latter is currently artist-in-residence at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed <a href=\"https:\/\/martinhouse.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Martin House<\/a> in Buffalo, New York, where she sources disused clay roof tiles on which she then carved fallen leaves.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/architects-2.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475965\" title=\"Dabin Ahn, \u201cNocturne IV\u201d (2026), oil on linen over panel, jasper, brass, adhesive, camphor, and sapele in walnut artist\u2019s frame, 13 x 11 inches\" data-rl_title=\"Dabin Ahn, \u201cNocturne IV\u201d (2026), oil on linen over panel, jasper, brass, adhesive, camphor, and sapele in walnut artist\u2019s frame, 13 x 11 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"Dabin Ahn, \u201cNocturne IV\u201d (2026), oil on linen over panel, jasper, brass, adhesive, camphor, and sapele in walnut artist\u2019s frame, 13 x 11 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"2801\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/architects-2.jpeg\" alt=\"a sculptural painting by Dabin Ahn featuring a cutout in the center with a suspended tiny painting of a lit candle\" class=\"wp-image-475967\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dabin Ahn, \u201cNocturne IV\u201d (2026), oil on linen over panel, jasper, brass, adhesive, camphor, and sapele in walnut artist\u2019s frame, 13 x 11 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Through surreal compositions in a variety of media, including Fuentes-Barrientos\u2019 architectural graphite drawings and oil paintings and Ahn\u2019s dreamy meditations on loss and the passage of time, viewers are invited to reflect upon the nature of not only presence in a physical sense but also the emotional and psychological sense of being present. Silhouettes, cutouts, buildings and sky, and light and shadow assemble into symbolic motifs of remembrance and visibility.<\/p>\n<p>The gallery says, \u201cWhether investigating the psychic, mythic, and alchemical realms of the imagination, documenting the material remnants of industrial and biological change, or harnessing loss and memory into resonant forms, their works map the absences that define reality.<\/p>\n<p><em>Architects of Absence <\/em>continues through August 29 in San Francisco. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/architects-7.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475965\" title=\"Yaxkin Fuentes-Barrientos, \u201cDormant Pulpits\u201d (2026), oil and pastel on linen, 24 x 30 inches\" data-rl_title=\"Yaxkin Fuentes-Barrientos, \u201cDormant Pulpits\u201d (2026), oil and pastel on linen, 24 x 30 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"Yaxkin Fuentes-Barrientos, \u201cDormant Pulpits\u201d (2026), oil and pastel on linen, 24 x 30 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1709\" height=\"1362\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/architects-7.jpg\" alt=\"a painting by Yaxkin Fuentes-Barrientos of an old stone building with three portals at the bottom and small bicycles laying on the ground\" class=\"wp-image-475968\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Yaxkin Fuentes-Barrientos, \u201cDormant Pulpits\u201d (2026), oil and pastel on linen, 24 x 30 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/architects-3.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475965\" title=\"Dabin Ahn, \u201cTorso (Full Moon)\u201d (2026), oil on linen over panel, mother of pearl inlay, cast resin, and hardware, 32 x 12 inches\" data-rl_title=\"Dabin Ahn, \u201cTorso (Full Moon)\u201d (2026), oil on linen over panel, mother of pearl inlay, cast resin, and hardware, 32 x 12 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"Dabin Ahn, \u201cTorso (Full Moon)\u201d (2026), oil on linen over panel, mother of pearl inlay, cast resin, and hardware, 32 x 12 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"3375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/architects-3.jpg\" alt=\"a painting by Dabin Ahn of a nighttime scene with the moon on support in the shape of a female body silhouette\" class=\"wp-image-475970\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dabin Ahn, \u201cTorso (Full Moon)\u201d (2026), oil on linen over panel, mother of pearl inlay, cast resin, and hardware, 32 x 12 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/architects-6.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475965\" title=\"Selva Aparicio, \u201cRoof Traces II\u201d (2026), carved clay roof tiles, courtesy of Frank Lloyd Wright\u2019s Martin House, Buffalo, New York, 12 x 6 x 1\/2 inches\" data-rl_title=\"Selva Aparicio, \u201cRoof Traces II\u201d (2026), carved clay roof tiles, courtesy of Frank Lloyd Wright\u2019s Martin House, Buffalo, New York, 12 x 6 x 1\/2 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"Selva Aparicio, \u201cRoof Traces II\u201d (2026), carved clay roof tiles, courtesy of Frank Lloyd Wright\u2019s Martin House, Buffalo, New York, 12 x 6 x 1\/2 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1746\" height=\"2102\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/architects-6.jpg\" alt=\"a clay roof tile from a Frank Lloyd Wright house, carved with oak leaves\" class=\"wp-image-475973\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Selva Aparicio, \u201cRoof Traces II\u201d (2026), carved clay roof tiles, courtesy of Frank Lloyd Wright\u2019s Martin House, Buffalo, New York, 12 x 6 x 1\/2 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/architects-9.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475965\" title=\"Marcel Jean, \u201cConductibilit\u00e9 des roches m\u00e8res\u201d (1974), gouache and flottage on Masonite, 7 1\/4 x 8 5\/8 inches\" data-rl_title=\"Marcel Jean, \u201cConductibilit\u00e9 des roches m\u00e8res\u201d (1974), gouache and flottage on Masonite, 7 1\/4 x 8 5\/8 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"Marcel Jean, \u201cConductibilit\u00e9 des roches m\u00e8res\u201d (1974), gouache and flottage on Masonite, 7 1\/4 x 8 5\/8 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1670\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/architects-9.jpg\" alt=\"a surreal painting of a vase with darkened eye-shaped voids with abstract forms emerging from the top\" class=\"wp-image-475974\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Marcel Jean, \u201cConductibilit\u00e9 des roches m\u00e8res\u201d (1974), gouache and flottage on Masonite, 7 1\/4 x 8 5\/8 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/architects-1.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475965\" title=\"Dabin Ahn, \u201cGolden Days (Animated)\u201d (2026), oil on linen over panel, plexiglass, single-board computer, LCD display with video, cables, power supply, hardware, and walnut, 15 3\/4 x 9 1\/2 inches\" data-rl_title=\"Dabin Ahn, \u201cGolden Days (Animated)\u201d (2026), oil on linen over panel, plexiglass, single-board computer, LCD display with video, cables, power supply, hardware, and walnut, 15 3\/4 x 9 1\/2 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"Dabin Ahn, \u201cGolden Days (Animated)\u201d (2026), oil on linen over panel, plexiglass, single-board computer, LCD display with video, cables, power supply, hardware, and walnut, 15 3\/4 x 9 1\/2 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"2877\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/architects-1.jpg\" alt=\"a painting by Dabin Ahn of a footed vesel with reflections of burning candles that look eerily like eyes from a distance\" class=\"wp-image-475966\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dabin Ahn, \u201cGolden Days (Animated)\u201d (2026), oil on linen over panel, plexiglass, single-board computer, LCD display with video, cables, power supply, hardware, and walnut, 15 3\/4 x 9 1\/2 inches<br \/><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/architects-8.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475965\" title=\"Yaxkin Fuentes-Barrientos, \u201cSpirit of the Beehive\u201d (2026), ink on found paper, 10 x 13 1\/2 inches (framed)\" data-rl_title=\"Yaxkin Fuentes-Barrientos, \u201cSpirit of the Beehive\u201d (2026), ink on found paper, 10 x 13 1\/2 inches (framed)\" data-rl_caption=\"Yaxkin Fuentes-Barrientos, \u201cSpirit of the Beehive\u201d (2026), ink on found paper, 10 x 13 1\/2 inches (framed)\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1859\" height=\"1394\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/architects-8.jpg\" alt=\"a surreal, framed graphite drawing\" class=\"wp-image-475969\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Yaxkin Fuentes-Barrientos, \u201cSpirit of the Beehive\u201d (2026), ink on found paper, 10 x 13 1\/2 inches (framed)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"after-entry\" role=\"complementary\" aria-label=\"After Entry\">\n<section id=\"block-16\" class=\"widget widget_block widget_text\">\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#88caf0\" class=\"has-inline-color\"><strong>Do stories and artists like this matter to you?<\/strong><\/mark> Become a <a 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All images courtesy of the artists and Gallery Wendi Norris, San Francisco, shared with permission Presence, Memory, and Time Merge in the Surreal Works of \u2018Architects of Absence\u2019 July 20, 2026 Art Kate Mothes Share [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,270],"class_list":["post-2052498","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-thisiscolossal-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2052498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2052498"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2052498\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2052498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2052498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2052498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}