“Entrar al exterior” (Entering the Outside)
El Zapote Gallery presents Entering the Outside by Emilio Lameiras, an exhibition highlighting his plein air production through paintings on canvas and ink on paper.
His work documents the vegetation found in the urban environments of modern-day Yucatán, selected through an aesthetic appreciation and his personal need for continuity in his artistic practice. Regarding plein air painting, Lameiras notes that the challenge of working live stimulates a state of “being in the present” and allows him to capture the essence of a fleeting moment. With this frank approach, the artist remarks: “Painting is a pretext to spend three hours in front of a plant.”
As a visual arts professor, Lameiras compares the experience of painting outdoors with work inspired by photography. He shares insights from several perspectives: the production process, technical challenges, various market niches, and the personal introspection that this method offers.
The exhibition features 13 oil paintings on canvas, 3 ink drawings on paper, and a series of 20 watercolors. These pieces represent the nature of Yucatán through a style that dialogues with Impressionism by building forms with fragments of color. However, Lameiras’s pictorial language proposes unique perspectives in his approach to subjects, composition, and brushwork.
In the gallery text, Lameiras describes his experience:
“This exhibition’s title draws from a renowned concept by Gilles Deleuze. Using Cézanne’s painting process as an example, Deleuze describes how the artist manages to ‘step outside’ himself to ‘enter’ the landscape and capture blocs of sensations. At the time, this description inverted the conventional logic which suggested that Impressionists, for instance, captured light and color from the outside in—from the world of light to the canvas, treating the painter as a mere receiver of information.
In Deleuze’s view, the challenge lies in moving from the inside out: venturing into the exterior and becoming one with it to emulate its forces. It is about capturing the ‘event’ beyond mere photographic resemblance.”
—E. Lameiras, 2026
About the Artist
Emilio Lameiras
(Mérida, 1986) is a painter whose work is built upon a continuous practice of drawing. Educated at ENPEG “La Esmeralda” and UNAM, his work has been featured in national biennials and at SWAB Barcelona. He is a recipient of the FONCA Young Creators Fellowship.
'Flor de plátano' (Oil on canvas) – capturing the brilliant growth of the blossom.
'Planta decembrina' (Oil on canvas) – a study of yellow and green foliage.
'Nopalera con lagartija' (Oil on canvas), a dynamic composition of green and ochre.
A detailed ink study of a Zapote trunk, showcased with zenithal lighting.