Igni is a work by the Andorran artist Joan Xandri, which he exhibited in the retrospective show titled Transitori, held in 2025 at the Sala d’Exposicions del Govern (Government Exhibition Hall).
It is a large-format creation in which long strokes made with Nan King Chinese ink are drawn on long strips of Wenzhou rice paper, up to three meters high.
The work proposes an immersive reflection on nature, transporting the viewer to an environment where they can witness the transformation of the forest, a fragile and complex space where interdependence reaches its peak: the tree, as an individual, practically ceases to exist and is transformed into a collective reality, especially when attacked by fire.
In the words of its creator, Igni is a red forest, as if it were on fire. And it is made of paper to accentuate its fragility.
The artwork is designed so that the viewer can enter it, wander through the paper forest, and experience the sensations it evokes.
The exhibition can also be seen as a theoretical reflection on the creative possibilities offered by new painting techniques, such as India ink, which in this case is applied to a novel support: rice paper.
Throughout the exhibition, some of Joan Xandri's early works, such as Expectants, Dualitat, and Inequívoc, were on display alongside more recent pieces, some even created specifically for the exhibition.
The stamp, which shows a detail of the red rice paper bands, evokes the immersive sensation the artwork creates for the viewer once they have entered it.
