The first of three consecutive exhibitions by the FASE collective at Hollywood in Cambodia, Defi’s “Carnaval” is a riotous display of vibrancy and colour.

Defi’s works consistently convey a kind of kinetic energy. Whether painting on canvas, wood or creating his intricate boxed miniature sculptures, his works express action and movement. Defi’s canvases have become more abstract in recent years, his trademark feline characters have been replaced instead by intense strokes of colour.

Through his miniature sculptures encapsulated in his ‘toy boxes’ as he calls them, Defi has explored the idea of converging energies in a more delicately narrative way. On the one hand the characters are appear to be insignificant miniature figurines, but at the same time, they draw us into their worlds and tell their own stories, inviting interpretation from the viewer. Every piece enacts its own drama – a sailor rowing out to sea in a tiny wooden boat, a lady waiting for her love while sitting on an old pick-up truck full of sunflowers, an idyllic Alpine scene hit by comic disaster.

These tiny risk-taking protagonists face their crises with stoicism. Defi captures that moment when time appears to stand still, taking on the roles of narrator and observer as well as artist, he subverts reality and encapsulates the action within his wooden structures, the moment preserved forever.

There is humour, joy and playfulness encapsulated in these pieces which aptly reflect the Carnaval title of the show. This is art that has been clearly influenced by the artist’s own culture and country and the human condition itself – so even in a gallery context, retains a sense that it’s come from the streets.

It could be said that Defi’s work channels important aspects of life in Buenos Aires. The pieces reflect characteristics of the city itself – the chaotic energy of the metropolis where people live for the moment, pinballing from one crisis to another. But it’s the perfect moments amongst the crisis and chaos where real beauty can be found.

Defi’s exhibition “Carnaval” at Hollywood in Cambodia, 1st floor, Thames 1885, Palermo Buenos Aires. Open 6-9pm Tuesdays – Sundays.

The exhibition closes this Sunday 9th June so this is your last chance to catch the show. If you’re in Buenos Aires, do not miss this!