Judit Gaset's Breast Cancer Journey Inspires Order-Chaos Art Exhibition

Artist and teacher Judit Gaset draws on her personal journey through breast cancer to explore the interplay between order and chaos in her latest exhibition, *L’ordre del caos*, now on display at Galeria Art al Set until 3 January.

The show builds on a retrospective held three years ago at the Parc Central exhibition hall, which Gaset views as the seed for this collection. Spheres dominate the works, symbolising an endless universe without beginning or end. "Perseguir l’ordre és un caos en si mateix," she says, likening the pursuit of order in life to flipping a coin where the two sides vanish upon turning.

Gaset connects her art to nature's hidden structures, such as the apparent disorder of a willow tree's leaves concealing perfect symmetry. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016, she describes the illness as halting life, prompting a profound transformation. Nature and love sustained her recovery, shifting her practice from vertical totems to serene spheres. "Era una altra Judit, començava de nou," she reflects, embracing a renewed calm amid contradiction.

Viewers encounter numerous containers holding spheres, which Gaset calls temples or altars—symbiotic representations of her inner universes, love, and nature's infinite cycles. Echoing Borges, she contemplates parallel realities: individual worlds that merge to form something new, much like leaves forming trees.

Clay remains her favoured medium for its vitality and generosity. "El fang és viu i generós," she explains, noting its demands—it requires care to avoid cracking, yet yields to hand-shaping, leaving a lasting imprint. Sourced from the earth, it returns there, enduring eternally, as evidenced by ancient amphorae preserved on seabeds.

Gaset discovered clay as a young girl in an after-school class, marvelling at creating form from nothing. As a teacher, she challenged students' self-doubt, proving many could master drawing and painting. Today, she positions herself in constant balance between chaos and order, navigating moments of absolute turmoil and eerie calm without full control.