Every evolution involves a fracture, a rupture, a renunciation, a wound. Every joy is preceded by pain or sadness. Human beings are nourished by each of these moments, which they are capable of transforming into a driving force for change.

With Memoria de Lápiz, Enrique Barro delves into each of the pencil tips that, chapter by chapter, sketch the story of our lives, highlighting all the edges, comings and goings, ups and downs through the use of the pencil—an instrument deeply rooted in our earliest memories. A learning tool that every child uses in their process of integrating into the world and that, in one way or another, also forms part of our own memory: “My father had a printing shop on Entença Street, in Barcelona, during the 90s. He made all the invitations when Bulgari or Ripley arrived in the city. I used to go there all the time.”

Perhaps the pencil is the most recognizable material in his work, but his art encompasses many more elements and nuances. “I always work with organic materials,” he explains to me at Salón Acme during Mexico Art Week 2025 where, in addition to his already recognizable artworks, he presents three new pieces displayed in their respective plexiglass cases: “They are silk cocoons. It is a reflection on the idea of a refuge where metamorphosis also takes place,” he explains. “This is something very powerful because it seems like nothing is happening inside.