Xevi Solà, Thoughts of a Bigger Splash

‘Thoughts of a Bigger Splash’ marks Spanish artist Xevi Solà's first solo exhibition at Opera Gallery Monaco and serves as a subtle tribute to the work of the late David Hockney. Echoing the atmosphere of the French Riviera and the final days of summer, the exhibition presents a curated selection of previously unseen paintings depicting silent figures gathered around the highly symbolic setting of the swimming pool.

Shimmering waters

The swimming pool occupies a singular place in the collective imagination. A site of leisure, aspiration and escape, it has become one of the defining motifs of modern life and, by extension, of art. ‘Thoughts of a Bigger Splash’ explicitly echoes David Hockney, whose celebrated paintings encapsulated the 60’s Californian way of life and elevated the swimming pool to a symbol of status, freedom, and suspended time. Following his passing earlier this year, the reference also acknowledges the lasting influence of an artist whose vision resonates across generations. For his part, Xevi Solà revisits the motif of the swimming pool, infusing it with a more psychological and introspective narrative. 

Suspended stories

In Solà's work, the swimming pool thus ceases to be a marker of status and becomes instead a true space of expression. It hosts encounters that appear composed yet remain unresolved. Figures gather, wait or drift apart, sharing the same space without ever fully connecting. Their expressions reveal little, their relationships remain undefined, and the narrative is left deliberately open. Rather than depicting events, Solà captures moments of quiet anticipation, inviting us to imagine what has just happened, or what might happen next.

This ambiguity lies at the heart of his practice. Drawing on the visual language of fashion photography, cinema and mugshots, Solà constructs compositions defined by luminous colour and flattened perspectives. The pool becomes an organising framework, balancing his elongated figures while reinforcing the sensation that time has momentarily paused.

Artworks on display

The paintings brought together in ‘Thoughts of a Bigger Splash’ each explore this delicate interplay between presence and distance. In Bamboo, lush vegetation and tranquil water frame figures absorbed in their own interior worlds. The diptych Coupe du Monde presents a gathering whose carefully staged harmony conceals an underlying sense of detachment. In Rendez-vous, expectation lingers between two protagonists suspended against an evening skyline, while Sunrise unfolds above the sea. Even Vestiaires, set away from the water's edge, retains the same choreography of observation and quiet performance that runs throughout these new works.

Through these scenes, Xevi Solà transforms an iconic symbol of contemporary life into a space for reflection. Beneath their surfaces, his paintings reveal the quiet complexity of human relationships, inviting us to linger in moments where time appears suspended, and meaning remains just beyond reach.