MU

Artist Paul Cupido’s affinity for the natural world was born out of a childhood spent on the Dutch island of Terschelling, where the ebb and flow of tides and the cycles of the moon reflect the fleetingness of life. Cupido’s work is furthermore inspired by Japanese photography as well as his travels there. Japanese philosophical principles, and especially that of Mu, permeate his creative practice.

Mu could be loosely translated as ‘does not have’ or a ‘void’, albeit one that holds potential. Cupido’s economy of form and lyrical compositions, encompassing landscape, portraiture and still life, invite to look beyond the visible—while he is rigorous in his attention to the quality of printing and his choice of paper stock. He photographs widely while traveling and reflects on the results later, which after a period of contemplation means a renewed journey of discovery, in which the intuitive editing of seemingly unrelated images leads to serendipitous combinations.

For the exhibition at InCadaqués, Cupido worked primarily on Lanzarote, resulting in most of the images on display here, reflecting the genius loci (sense of place) of the island. Furthermore, there are some earlier works from Japan.