The Spanish artist Rafa Macarrón displays anatomical figures with their stretched forms and extended proportions. The paintings are full of representations, which are peculiarly scaled. Macarrón’s visual language of human condition is based on reality, yet in a surreal way.

By his other profession Macarrón is a physiotherapist. His understanding of the human form is therefore detailed and measured. However, from the knowledge of anatomy and bodily mechanics, Macarrón creates a versatile revelation of themes. The exaggerated silhouettes inhabit imaginative spaces and present a narrativeness, that still carries the truth. The paintings also depict elaborate fashion, such as seemingly designer handbags and clothes. Macarrón’s figures reflect the life we all live, although in a fantastical way.

The artist’s recurring lines and shapes are carefully constructed. The works contain elements of intensity and surprise, and Macarrón’s recognizable expressiveness is unfolding a world of unique vision. The entity becomes a scene of anatomical reflections. Symbolism and surrealism coexist, containing subtle social commentary and psychological insight. The compositions of the works are rich and carefully considered; the artist gives each figure their own meaning. Distorted shapes are symbolising the challenge of the so-called normal. None of the figures are conventional, but all are captivating. Together, these works create a world that is at once surreal and intimate, where transformations clarify vulnerability and emotion, and imagination serves a method for understanding what it means to be human.

Rafa Macarrón’s works have been exhibited at e.g. CAC, Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Málaga, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, Alicante, Museo DA2, Salamanca and Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, Elche, in Spain, and Universidad de Puebla, Mexico. Macarrón’s works are in the collections of Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, Peekskill, New York, Fundación BMW, Spain, and Fundación Vivanco, La Rioja, among others. He has been awarded ARCOmadrid Best Artist in 2013.