Carles Congost. A sense of wonder

'The true artist helps the world by revealing mystic truths' reads one of Bruce Nauman's ironic neon signs. What is expected from the work of an artist? What is his or her role in society? 'A Sense of Wonder', curated by David Santaeulària, brings together the most recent projects by Carles Congost: eight videos made over the last decade.

In these pieces we find some of the recurring references that make up Congost's work: the artistic system and the creative process; the iconography of mass culture; music, especially pop, but also the '80s Italo disco related to the Sabadell sound ('New Splendor', produced specifically for this exhibition, deserves its own article); television; the imaginary adolescent... and he does it by exploring and pushing the boundaries of the different possibilities of cinema and cinematographic languages.

Congost has the ability to talk about life, about what we hold most dear, without shouting about it, and also with humour and, sometimes, sarcasm. His work questions and moves viewers in equal parts. It puts us in a comfortable position; we control the language and references of the story, and he uses that to place us, with an impeccable mise en scène, before a mirror that reflects the contradictions of modern life: identity issues, prejudices, the culture of triumph... With all this, believe me, it's impossible not to marvel at the experience.