Miquel Barceló Plantes grasses siamoises, 2019

In this 2019 watercolour, simplified human figures, depicted in gestural, expressive strokes of red, seem to sprout leaves and spines, as though mutating into the silhouetted pink and green flowering succulents with which they intertwine. These plants, referred to in the title – Plantes grasses siamoises (Siamese Succulents) – recall the flora surrounding Miquel Barceló’s studio in Mallorca, which is a constant source of inspiration for the artist. The slippage between vegetal and animal worlds exemplifies Barceló’s interest in metamorphosis, which is fundamental to his work: he recently created original watercolours for a new edition of Franz Kafka’s La Métamorphose.