Arlés in deep sleep 2014

Marina Pallares created "Arlés in deep sleep", a 100 by 80 cm artwork, and it feels like a portal into a dream. The background has this almost confetti-like pattern, little bursts of color on a dark ground, which is juxtaposed with the slumbering cat. I love that interplay between chaos and calm. The cat itself is rendered in soft, smoky grays, like a cloud taking the form of a feline. You can see each individual hair, giving it a tactile quality. I wonder what kind of tools Pallares used to achieve that level of detail. There's a particular spot where the cat's tail curls around its body, almost like a question mark, formally echoing the cat's curled-up posture. It makes you wonder, what are the secret dreams that it is having? I'm thinking of Agnes Martin's quiet, meditative grids, the way Pallares' artwork creates a space for contemplation amidst the vibrant background. It's like a little world contained within a canvas, a reminder that art, like sleep, can be a journey into the unknown.