The Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid is exhibiting the largest retrospective of the work of Cristina Iglesias that has been presented to date, Cristina Iglesias: Metonimia.
Cristina Iglesias (San Sebastián, 1956) initiated her art studies in Barcelona, concentrating on drawing and ceramics. She would later complete her studies in London. She was launched to the international arena after her triumphant participation in the Venice Biennale, where she represented Spain in 1986 and 1993. But real success came after the exhibition organized by the Guggenheim Museum in New York in 1997. By then she was already attracting the attention of the collections at some of the most important museums in the world.
Cristina Iglesias during the opening of Metonimia.
The Reina Sofía Museum now presents the work of the artist in these terms: “over the last three decades, Cristina Iglesias has shown a clear interest in redefining sculpture as an expanded field that serves to question the object of its relationship with spatial and architectural elements. Her sculptures are integrated within the architecture of the place where they are located, creating an interplay where reality and appearance are intertwined… her creations generate suggestive fictional worlds and abandon their utilitarian purposes to become stages, propitiating a reflective observation. They are intersections between nature and culture, shadows, waterfalls, whirlpools and foliage, where the notion of shelter is the most recurrent metaphor”.
CRISTINA IGLESIAS. Suspended Corridor III, 2006.
Iglesias has worked with a wide variety of materials: alabaster, tapestry, glass, resin, aluminum, bronze, iron, cement, wood, concrete and even water.
The exhibition includes 50 pieces, including silk-screen and copper prints and montages. There are also guided tours that allow visitors to view the sculptures that are located in public places and above all, those where water is present as a sculptural element.
Exhibition View.
Cristina Iglesias: Metonimia is available to the public at the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid, until May 13, 2013. ■
PHOTOS
Cristina Iglesias. Photo: Joaquín Cortés / Román Lores.
Suspended Corridor III. Private Collection.
Exhibition View. Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía.
