Oil on paper
100x100cm
2016

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Transmutation is the most radical change in chemistry, as nothing remains of what the matter was before. For the transmutation to happen, matter needs to sublimate, by going directly from a solid phase to a gas phase. The parallel between this discipline and alchemy seemed immediate, as alchemy is a series of practices that allows for the transmutation of the soul. As in chemistry, the alchemical process too is made of three fundamental phase transitions: nigredo (in which matter decomposes), albedo (in which it gets purified through sublimation) and rubedo (that allows matter to recompose in its new nature). Keeping these aspects in mind in the works stemmed from this research, I wanted to materialize the phenomenon of matter and soul transmutation in something tangible. First, a subtle layer of paper was painted and the excess of paint removed; subsequently, the paint removed was used to draw a shape, which was also partly cancelled by using a piece of cloth. Thus, the shape was dissolved, purified and renewed in its essential qualities, reproducing the transmutation process.