Carlos Vega Presents 'Anima Mundi' Exhibition Exploring Spirituality and Nature at Jack Shainman Gallery

Artist Carlos Vega is currently presenting a solo exhibition titled 'Anima Mundi' at Jack Shainman Gallery in New York. The show, which runs until April 18, features large-scale paintings on lead substrate that explore themes of spirituality, consciousness, and humanity's connection to nature. Vega, a 63-year-old artist who studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Spain, creates works that reference classical art traditions while incorporating elements of alchemy and metaphysical inquiry. The exhibition includes Renaissance-era antique frames and incorporates semi-precious stones, aiming to create objects of reverence. Vega's artistic practice involves hundreds of hours of labor per piece, with some works taking years to complete. His paintings depict Edenic landscapes, extraterrestrial flora, and symbolic representations of universal human experiences. The artist, who was born in the Spanish town of Melilla in northern Morocco, describes his work as addressing fundamental questions about consciousness and what happens after death. He emphasizes that his approach to spirituality is separate from religious dogma, focusing instead on universal connections between all living and non-living things. The exhibition represents a shift from his previous 2019 show, which focused on female saints, to more intensive work with lead substrates that require precise, irreversible mark-making. Vega notes that the COVID-19 pandemic influenced increased public interest in spiritual questions, which aligns with his artistic explorations.