The first book by Fernando Prats & Miguel Ruibal together. Singular photographies and paintings as a continuum.

3. objects subjects

5. fernando miguel
objects subjects

6. LES ARGOTS
www.lesargots.com
Design: Estudi Prats
www.estudiprats.com
Prologue: Pedro Meyer
www.pedromeyer.com
Prologue translation: Alicia Pallas
www.aliciapallas.blogspot.com
©Fernando Prats
www.fernandoprats.com
©Miguel Ruibal
www.miguelruibal.org
©Prats/Ruibal
www.prats-ruibal.com
First edition: December 2009
ISBN 978-1-4452-1060-5
Printed in Spain

7. ink and diaphragm
Let’s see, this is about the work by two friends, whom I have never
seen in my life, but only met through epistolary and work exchange
via the Internet. Fernando Prats lives in Barcelona, Miguel Ruibal in
Terrassa, and I in Mexico City. Combination whose coordinates right
from the start reveal a new way for possible encounters in this 21st
century. Distances and time zones (them being across the Atlantic)
do not matter anymore. Information and ideas flow, according to
each one’s schedules and daily routine.
Of course we share many interests, which is the reason why friend-
ship had a fertile space to grow. I hope the same happens to you
readers with Ruibal and Prats, as you get to know the features of
their work.
The essay I am referring to was developed in the course of eight
weeks, throughout which the two artists exchanged about a hun-
dred works, until they finally gathered together the couples featured
here. They ask, they told me, for each reader to formulate his/her
own associations to find their own weft (and traumas, I would add).
Nevertheless, I am not satisfied by that answer, that of leaving us to
our own devices to solve the plot.
Therefore, I have no option but contributing with my own interpre-
tations, which should be understood only as that, as just my per-
sonal interpretation.
The fact that they have not numbered the pages in order to cite a
particular work makes me think they see their works as a continu-
um, and they seemingly took to the task of making couples on each
page consistent. I found

8. a great visual and stylistic coherence, not only between pages but
also throughout the whole set of 28 images. This is, the consistence
is not only horizontal but also longitudinal.
Such sustained coherence is not easy to achieve. Resonances are
maintained at various levels: textures, traces and volumes comple-
ment each other very carefully; nothing has been left without con-
sideration.
I find it a very fortunate decision to keep the photograph always
on the same side of the right page, and a great skill for work editing
can be appreciated.
What are the risks we must face when thinking of buying Prats
and Ruibal’s work? Because that’s what this is about. Apart from
the unavoidable compromise with culture, and their creative abili-
ties. What this is about is opening new ways to deal with habits and
customs to purchase artwork through many innovative ways, by the
two respected and acknowledged artists from the River Plate region
established in Catalonia.
Their intention, as far as they have told me, is contributing to the
debate between digitally distributed work (blogs, websites, social
networks, etc) and work as a physical presence, tangible and suscep-
tible to be handled in the three-dimensional world; and achieving
that without the dependence of intermediaries (galleries, publishers,
etc). This objective is of great interest for every artist, wherever we
are. We are all urged to find practical models to bring artists and col-
lectors together, by doing so reducing distribution costs associated
with the old circulation models.
One of the essential links in this transition towards new operat-
ing schemes is the issue of trust in this Internet era. Forestalling this
doubt is important, as eBay or Amazon, among others,
have learned so well.

9. And the solution lies in understanding that, in the Internet era,
news travel around the world at the speed of light through the opti-
cal fiber arteries of the global networks. Soon it would be known if
my friends’ marketing strategies should not stand up to what they
offer, and thus would fall from the esteem of those who trusted them
and all their efforts. As in their case it seems absurd, I rule that pos-
sibility out.
The present volume is intended to be printed on demand. There
will be different versions to give a chance for everyone to partici-
pate according to their purchasing power, nowadays decreased, and
thus be able to acquire these works, namely: the printed book; the
book autographed by the authors and accompanied by two small
works; the book autographed by the authors as part of a special A3
folder with six engravings (three by Fernando and three by Miguel).
The project can also be seen through social networks such as Face-
book, Flickr, MySpace, Twitter and its own website: lesargots.com.
To conclude, we can say that Objects Subjects has found a happy
marriage, a four-handed and four-eyed encounter, where we could
even advertise in our Internet circus that paying is no longer required
for seeing, and that you will find splendid works, half drawing and
half photograph, and in this case without the need for any illusionist
trick except the one already installed in every visitor’s mind. Now, if
you wish to take the whole program (the book) for a very moderate
price thanks to new technologies, you can easily purchase it at
lesargots.com/web/objectes-subjectes.
Thank you very much!
Pedro Meyer
Coyoacan, Mexico DF
October 9th, 2009.