Imaginary Cities – Pablo Dawid – Utopia and Ideal Environments.
Imagination is the key to art; it is the source of creativity and, depending on the artist, manifests itself in different ways.
Sometimes, when I visit art galleries, I’m not quite sure what to make of them. Upon entering and seeing an exhibition, I’m struck by its strangeness, as happened to me recently with an exhibition on jewellery implants. And this exhibition I’m bringing to you today has also been something different; at least, I’ve never seen anything like it before, although I suspect we’ll see more of this kind of art in the future.
The slogan used for the exhibition is: ‘Between the impossible space and the longed-for space’, and the artist, Pablo Dawid, is an architect and visual artist. He has conceived this exhibition based on Italo Calvino’s text Invisible Cities, published in 1972.
The exhibition took place across two galleries and comprises 79 works: 55 of these are generative art pieces, whilst the remaining 21 are paintings and drawings, alongside three art models. It is an adaptation of the text I mentioned earlier, in which the central theme is the city and its development.
The art exhibition also prompts reflection and discussion on the themes of science and engineering in relation to intelligent machines and the essence of humanity, more specifically, AI in art, whilst contrasting this with traditional, manual art, created entirely by human hands.
Each of the works depicts cities that spring from the imagination but are rooted in dreams, experiences and memories, humanised cities, whilst also serving as a critique of these very cities and, at the same time, appealing to the memories of those who live in them. In this way, relationships or links are established between the past and the present in a utopian, visionary manner, where architectural styles and the dreamlike elements of ideal environments can be seen, enabling us to transcend social and habitability constraints.
Spatial Rinse I and II, 2020, coloured pencil, pen and marker on card.
Imaginary City I, II and III, 2019, acrylic and marker pen on canvas.
Cities and the Dead I, 2025/2026, print on matt coated paper.
Cities and the Eyes V, 2025/2026, print on matt coated paper.
As I looked at each piece, I thought about the world of dreams, the possibility of alternate worlds, and a boundless imagination where anything is possible; but I also thought about the inner worlds within each of us, as if these imaginary cities represented our very soul or spirit.
I always love how, at this sort of exhibition held at the Economic Society of Friends of the Province of Málaga, they provide me with information about both the artist and an explanation of the exhibition, so that I can better understand what I am seeing and, of course, share it here.
I really liked the works consisting of paintings; they seemed abstract or even surreal, but everything from the shapes to the colours is excellent. You’ll see that there are several of them, although there are far more AI-generated images. Personally, however, I really value hand-made art. In this case, I liked all of the works.
Grid, diptych, 2020, acrylic and marker pen on canvas.
Cities and Exchanges V, 2025/2026, print on matt coated paper.
Cities and the Name II, 2025/2026, print on matt coated paper.
Cities and Memory IV, 2025/2026, print on matt coated paper.
Cities and Desire V, 2025/2026, print on matt coated paper.
Cities and Exchanges I, 2025/2026, print on matt-coated paper.
As far as the images are concerned, they give a great deal to think about, for example, the city of memory. In that case, I imagined both a city where people live by remembering things and another where they are forgotten; that would be a good topic for psychology.
But I didn’t just see illustrations or drawings as if they were photographs of other worlds, of cities created by the imagination, but also a sort of architectural diagram explaining one city or another; and, to be honest, it was really interesting to look at them and let my imagination run wild, as I said, creating new worlds where they might exist.
Imaginary City VII, 2020, acrylic and marker pen on canvas.
Imaginary City X, 2020, acrylic and marker pen on canvas.
Imaginary City VIII, 2020, acrylic and marker pen on canvas.
Imaginary City IX, 2020, acrylic and marker pen on canvas.
Spatial Rinse III and IV, 2020, coloured pencil, pen and marker pen on card.
Imaginary City Model II and III, 2025/2026, plastic blocks on a plinth.
I felt as though the artist had imagined each of these cities down to the very smallest detail, and had then sought to bring them to life with the help of digital tools, ensuring that every detail in his mind was captured in each of the images. I felt the same way when looking at the hand-painted works.
I found this exhibition to be very original in style, and as I looked at everything, I thought that in the future it might offer me more of this kind of art. I reflected on the subject of handmade art and its value, hoping that it will never disappear. Although it is true that images can capture very well what one thinks, feels or imagines, there will never be anything quite like the value of conventional art.
Cities and the Name I, Cities and Exchanges IV, Cities and the Name IV, Subtle Cities V, 2025/2026, print on matt coated paper.
Tree City, 2019, acrylic and felt-tip pen on canvas.
Imaginary City Model I, 2025/2026, plastic blocks on a plinth.
Imaginary City XI, 2020, acrylic and felt-tip pen on canvas.
Imaginary City V. Red, 2020, acrylic and pen on canvas.
Imaginary City VI. Yellow, 2020, acrylic and pen on canvas.
Imaginary Cities, National Library of Singapore, 2015, ballpoint pen on paper.
Another thing that caught my attention was that quite a few people were coming in to view the exhibition, perhaps because it was so novel and out of the ordinary, and I wondered whether everyone understood the underlying message the artist was trying to convey: that critique, that dialogue between art forms, and those utopian, dreamlike worlds, the dreams or creations of the mind captured on paper.
It’s a subject that lends itself to a great deal of discussion and, as I said, I find it very interesting. I absolutely loved being there and being able to appreciate the artist’s ideas and message; it was a special experience.
Thank you very much for joining me today; I wish you all a very happy Sunday. See you soon.
Amonet.
All photographs are my own.