A few days before opening Domesticate or Die in Marquesa Gallery, Rubén Martín de Lucas talks with us about this new exhibition, where it questions the idea of civilization and the limits that we impose on ourselves as a society. His work, between visual poetry and ecological criticism, invites us to look with new eyes at our way of inhabiting the planet.
The title of the exhibition is blunt: Domesticarse o morir. Where does this idea come from and what does this dichotomy between the wild and the domesticated mean to you?
The wild diminishes or disappears. The domesticated thrives in number. If you were an animal, in the 21st century it seems that there are only those two alternatives: Domesticarse o morir. The same thing happens to us humans. Ancestral cultures are absorbed by the mainstream. “Progress” is a steamroller that equals everything. The Earth, once an orchard of biodiversity, has become a succession of monocultures crossed by a road dotted with petrol stations and identical cities. The exhibition belongs to “Transgenic Days”, a project with a wild humor that confronts us before a crude mirror. A mirror that makes us see that we are slow, very slow. And as in any healing process: admitting it is the first step.
Detail. Bad wolf VIII, 180 x 150 cm. oil on canvas mounted on foam and wooden frame. 2025
Do you think that personal, social, ecological domestication is a form of progress or loss?
It is called “domestication syndrome” to the loss of the ability to live wildly. It occurs to species of plants and animals that have lived for generations under the “cares” of humanity. They have lost their ability to survive on their own. An example: the tomato plant. By choosing for reproduction the specimens with the largest fruits generation after generation, a genetic selection is produced. This new plant of large fleshy fruits needs care and would not survive alone. The same goes for cattle. We have selected the most docile specimens, and now they are clumsy animals... unfit to live in freedom.
It happened to us too. We live longer, but we live like caged chickens.
Do you propose a return to the wild?
Returning to the wild is absolutely impossible. There are too many of us on the planet and now we are completely dependent on “exploiting” other species. But there are intermediate terms. We need to find other points of balance. We cannot let the world be a succession of livestock farms, farms and human farms. There are more ways to live and be on the planet. In the villages, without going any further. There is a better balance, there is more contact with the undomesticated and another way of managing time and life. I personally advocate for the degrowth advocated by Latouche and Carlos Taibo. Or something even more beautiful, poetic and radical such as natural agriculture and the way of life that Masanobu Fukuoka implemented, where flow and minimal interference are the starting point.
Rubén Martín de Lucas in his studio in Piedralaves (Ávila)
Your works combine a great conceptual load with a very careful aesthetic. How do you find the balance between visual beauty and the message you want to convey with your work?
If the works had two legs, one leg would be the visual aspect, that is, the plastic or aesthetic part. The other would be the story, the concept or the idea behind it. If both legs are strong... the work, and the artist, will walk better.
In my case, every project is born from an idea, a topic that I want to deal with. And then I look for the best way and the best language to translate it. Transgenic Days speaks of the progressive distancing that as humanity we have “drawn” with respect to nature. We look like we're not part of it now. This “mental distance” I have translated into paintings, into texts, even into audio installations. This methodology is a fantastic way to work. Each project takes me in a new direction. And that keeps me alive
You had not done a solo exhibition in Madrid for some time. What does it mean for you to come back now with this project and do it in Marquesa Gallery?
Madrid is the city where I grew up. I can't say I love her madly because I don't like cities. But I inevitably cherish him. It is nice to return to exhibit in the city where one took his first steps as an artist. And it is nice to do it with a young team like Marquesa, with a desire and a contagious energy. That influences the results, and for good. Also, in a way it’s like coming back and saying to friends, “Hey, excuse me during these years, I went to a town with the family. But we're fine, all right. Life is slow there, and I like it. Here I bring you a handful of works and reflections. I hope you like them.”
In an increasingly technological, urban and controlled world, is it still possible or desirable to reconnect with the wild?
You just have to try it. Go to a semi-wild forest, walk quietly, observe the plants. Sit and listen with your eyes closed, listen calmly to the sound of otherness, of everything that is not human. Smell the forest. Open your eyes and the world will seem more real to you.
I have been lucky since I moved to Piedralaves to be able to do this exercise frequently. The semi-wild forest that surrounds us is healing. The lame Nuño’s throat is a sacred, healing presence.
The Lame Nuño Gorge. Piedralavas, Ávila
If you had to summarize Domesticarse o morir in a single image or thought, something that the visitor would take with them when leaving the gallery, what would it be?
I'm lazy, we're lazy. Admitting it is the first step.
On Thursday, November 21, from 19:00 to 22:00 h, we open the doors of Marquesa Gallery to present Domesticate or Die, the new exhibition of Rubén Martín de Lucas.
We are waiting for you!
Rubén Martín de Lucas. Photo by Mirka Formanova