Client: Landmarks, the Public Art Program of The University of Texas at Austin

Overview

Commissioned by Landmarks for the Department of Psychology at The University of Texas at Austin, “Tras los ojos (Behind the Eyes)” is a large-scale digital print on canvas by Eamon Ore-Giron. The 15 x 13 foot work explores ideas of perception and was inspired, in part, by ophthalmological diagrams that illustrate how humans receive visual information. Its totemic design reflects the artist’s unique visual language – a combination of symbols and motifs drawn from pre-Columbian textiles to European modernism. By referencing a broad range of artistic movements and traditions, Ore-Giron creates unexpected connections between European, pre-Columbian, contemporary indigenous, and popular Latin American influences.

The mural features a palette of rich, solid colors that evokes the moments before sunset, with a series of conical shapes and gradient rays in shades of purple, sky blue, and pale pink. Ore-Giron describes the gently curving lines at the top of the work as “the stratosphere of the painting,” and “the edge of the atmosphere where things start to bend.” The result is a striking metaphor for the flow of information between the external world and the mind.

Goals

“Tras los ojos” is sited in the main atrium of the Sarah M. and Charles E. Seay Building, home to the Department of Psychology. The work was intended to respond to the research conducted within the building and the existing architecture of the space.

In conversations between the artist and faculty and students from the department, the idea of perception emerged as a fitting theme for Ore Giron’s commission. The site of the work, however, presented a challenge. The atrium features two large walls of windows which allow harsh sunlight to flood the space. To ensure the stability of the mural and vibrancy of its colors, Ore Giron created a small painting, essentially a study, that was then digitally printed on canvas at a significantly larger scale. Shortly after the installation of the work in 2023, the small painting was gifted to the Blanton Museum of Art at the university. With both Landmarks’ commission and its study on campus, students and other visitors gain unique insight into Ore-Giron’s working process and practice.