THE WEIGHT OF THE GAZE II, 2025

This work is part of the triptych The Weight of the Gaze, at the core of the Inhabit series, where Alex Rodriguez Plaza explores the struggle with distorted self-perception and the weight of one’s inner gaze. In this second panel, the motif reaches an expressive crescendo: a fragmented female figure, frontal and centered, sustained with difficulty in a space of constant tension. The figure is defined by a solid, curvilinear torso, yet its identity is reduced to the gaze of a single eye. This asymmetry intensifies the sense of incompleteness and vulnerability. The head, transformed into a dense tangle of pictorial matter, reaches its greatest thickness within the triptych: layers of paint accumulate through violent gestures, turning the storm of thought into palpable weight. The dark background, structured by geometric planes and beams of light, heightens the clash between order and chaos. A vermilion sphere in motion rolls down a curved plane, its vibrant color and dynamic energy disrupting the scene and introducing psychological unease. The sphere acts as a metaphor for intrusions that destabilize the mind during introspection. The absence of hands—present in the other panels—deprives the body of agency, reinforcing the metaphor of paralysis before self-criticism. Here, the figure is trapped between bodily solidity and mental fragility, between geometric clarity and inner chaos. The Weight of the Gaze II is the most destabilized of the triptych: a stark depiction of how self-reflection can become unbearable, trapping the subject in a loop of criticism and fragmentation. Yet, amidst the chaos, the body remains upright, reminding us that even under the crushing weight of self-perception, resistance endures.

Alejandro Rodríguez Plaza (Madrid, 1992), known as Plaza, is a Spanish-Australian visual artist currently based in Sydney. Trained as an architect at the University of Granada, his career has evolved in parallel with a deep-rooted passion for painting and visual creation.
From his beginnings in Madrid’s urban art scene to the consolidation of a distinctive pictorial style, his work fuses elements of modern cubism, neofiguration, and surrealism, resulting in visually complex and emotionally charged compositions. His visual language—defined by bold color use, a balance between abstraction and figuration, and the presence of pure forms—builds a symbolic universe that explores themes of identity, contemporary artificiality, and the longing for individual freedom.
Plaza frequently incorporates deconstructed human figures, masks, hands, and eyes, forming an iconographic repertoire that speaks to social hyper-surveillance, imposed appearances, and the persistence of what is essential. His geometric backgrounds evoke dense, chaotic urban environments, while the presence of childlike elements points to a nostalgia for simplicity and authenticity.
His architectural background not only endowed him with technical precision but also shaped a structural vision that allows him to balance chaos with order: “Architecture taught me how to tame artistic vision and transform it into a solid language.”
His body of work is best understood as a pictorial manifesto in defense of authenticity against contemporary artifice: “We live surrounded by digital stimuli, yet we’re emptier than ever; my painting is an attempt to reconnect with the real—what still has the power to move us.”
His influences include Francis Bacon, George Condo, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Juan Gris, Franz Ackermann, Brett Whiteley, and Picasso, although his work has developed into a unique and contemporary visual voice.