Palo Pez

Santander-born artist Pablo López Posada, known as Palo Pez (Santander, 1980), presents a series of wood collages entitled Entre las ramas (Among the Branches). The works combine drawing, painting with natural inks and pigments, plaster, and fibers, engaging in dialogue with the vegetal imagery that gives the exhibition its title.

“Living in the space between the branches means living exposed to the elements. It is a leap into the void of immensity,” writes the artist, “a constant vertigo, impossible to console, because of the uncertainty it entails.” For Palo Pez, this in-between space mirrors the human condition: a territory without shelter to protect the vulnerability of being born, where every path is, by nature, ephemeral. “There is not a single straight line in a tree,” he observes, “nor will we find one in the space between the branches. One of the great illusions of our time is believing that we can avoid this space and always walk along branches that support us.”

Since 2009, working under the pseudonym Palo Pez, he has developed a multidisciplinary practice spanning illustration, photography, graphic design, video, and theatrical performance. His career includes more than 25 solo and group exhibitions, among them Vacía (Museum of Nature of Cantabria, 2024) and Vela la llama (Enclave Pronillo Chapel, 2021). In 2022, he completed a residency at the Botín Centre, where he created El loco de la habitación 109, a tribute to the centenary of the birth of poet José Hierro. In 2023, he curated the exhibition El Agua Espera at the Palacete del Embarcadero. He was co-founder and artistic co-director of El Temporal (2021–2024) and chaired the XCreativos collective (2013–2019).