Soles catódicos: misal de efectos, afectos y defectos

Abstract

Soles Catódicos is a conceptual and visual art project that explores the relationship between the subject and images as vehicles of representation, emotion, and control. The author begins with the sensory impact of images—especially those loaded with emotion, such as horror films or religious art—to develop a critique of the mechanisms used to provoke visual and emotional responses. Romero analyzes how light, as both a spiritual symbol and visual tool, affects the viewer, turning them into a passive recipient of imposed ideas, blurring the lines between reality, symbolism, and emotion. Through installation, video art, and the metaphor of the Catholic missal, he suggests that images not only evoke memory and emotion but also perpetuate ideological and cultural systems that condition perception and behavior. Divided into three axes—effects, affects, and defects—the project examines how visual artifacts not only generate emotional impact but also create habits, dependency, and even symbolic or visual pathologies. It critiques the role of imagery as a mediator of spirituality and society, particularly in historical contexts like colonial Baroque, where art and religion merged to consolidate power and cultural structure. Romero argues that by being captivated by the ideals projected through imagery, individuals may become objects or fetishes themselves, caught in a cycle of contemplation, desire, and alienation. Soles Catódicos is thus a critique of fiction as a system of visual beliefs that deeply influences the construction of identity, memory, and spirituality.