In 2018 Cristóbal López, with the encouragement of family, friends and supporters, made the brave decision to crowdfund a book of the best of his work from the previous five years, and the outstanding result is the 96 pages of Drawn into Darkness. Not only has the book been a critically-acclaimed success, Lopez has now made a digital version of the book available to anyone on request, on the understanding that ‘the work can be reproduced in tattoos, used as inspiration by other artists or students, on any media, remixed, reinterpreted or intervened – as long as it is not printed as it stands for commercial use, but for artistic development, you are welcome.’
In the introduction to Drawn into Darkness, Cristóbal López explains the importance of the collection to him:
It has taken me 34 years to discover my intrinsic need to produce art. Though tangible in product this need is, however, born of a more elusive impetus – the attempt to understand my own conflicts.
It is an elusive and mutant goal like consciousness itself, and I am akin to someone who is lost at sea, at any given time in my process I am only able to comprehend at once the tip of the iceberg. What I can fully understand is the satisfaction and the feeling of relief that comes to me through the creative act.
By channelling certain desires and thoughts through my work I am able to make manifest, acts that I am unable to carry out in reality. But my art imbues them with breath and independent life like a fantastical conjuring of sorts. Even as these images and phantoms come through my creative work I am not sure that I can truly understand my impulse, the rational psychology from whence they come. I do understand that the act of creating these images helps me to successfully release these demons, giving them a form that I can look in the eye.
What is even more rewarding is that this endeavour has become my livelihood. My days are devoted now in rigorous, constant exercise and focus to it. As time passes, I dig deeper and deeper into my own being to realise these visions.
Today my work has become more than just my own exorcism or the search for a personal mystique. The art that has resulted from this process lives its own purpose and speaks to many who see in it their own reflection. An achievement that I can, only partially, attribute to myself – I am but the maker – the individuals that appreciate and give value to my work are the ones who catapult my imagery into the current collective imagination.
This book is the result of a personal work and collaboration of all of the people who have supported my art through the past four years. We have fought together against the mindless repression of eroticism in art by social media networks. I feel justified that this book is an irrefutable answer to this oppression. Thankful in these results and this experience I will continue producing works, faithful to my process and the endless search of that nameless muse that my art pursues.
The link to the request to access the digital version of Drawn into Darkness can be found here.
