Within Spanish artist Xevi Sola’s works, there is a pervading sense of unseen violence. The lady next door, an old couple living on a farm, a police officer, a strongman… an unnerving atmosphere connects them together. The supposed safety of the home is subverted to become a hotbed of criminality, as each work resembles a movie pictorial highlighting a key scene, filled with a subtle yet permeating imminent tension. Like Hitchcock, Xevi creates horror films using soft and bright tones, utilizing unsettling elements to shape each scene, telling stories using point-of-view editing to heighten suspense.

Xevi Solà draws stylistic, creative, and thematic inspiration from his unique employment history, having previously worked as a nurse and photographer at a psychological hospital. Jung’s “shadow”, Freud’s id, ego, and superego – all refer to primal desires in human nature divorced from morality. The outwardly docile female form in one of Xevi Sola’s works might very well be hiding a repressed sinful nature. The absurd personalities he brings to life may in fact reveal truths about human nature, where the strange becomes commonplace and even expected. A strong clashing sense of contrast is also a crucial element that visually strengthens every scene: A macho man and a holy sister. The strong and the weak. The fat and the thin. The jubilant and the despairing. We instinctively sense the theatrical tension that reflects an unseen yet growing blizzard hidden within his characters; the loneliness and sadness that stems from not being understood.

According to Hitchcock, those without the slightest hint and desire to sin will feel inspired to do so after watching his films. Through a subjective lens, Xevi depicts freaks and their strange behavior, summoning the subconscious within to gleefully connect with his characters.