Art Seen: International
ARCO Madrid 2012 // Art Fair Highlights
Not only did I thoroughly enjoy my first visit to the city of Madrid, I loved visiting the 2012 ARCO fair. Sure, I was not so excited about the IKEA VIP lounge, but I was certainly introduced to some new galleries and more importantly, some artists I did not know about but whose work I quite liked. Here are some highlights:
Signage for Solo Projects
The Dutch Pavilion- a structure for talks, etc.
Heineken sponsored lounge area
At Madrid gallery, Travesia Cuarto’s booth-a very cool installation.
Jorge Mendez Blake, Mallarme's Library, 2011, metal, wood, mirror, resin, plexiglas, and drawing, 95 x 180 x 150 cm
At Espacio Minimo’s booth, an interactive Olaf piece filled the space in which the viewer sits in a chair, dons headphones and peeps through a keyhole at video of a man’s intimate interaction with a child on one side and a woman’s on the other.
Erwin Olaf, The Keyhole, 2012
Spanish gallery Formatacomodo had my favorite works in the fair–abstract and hard to define with candy colors. I fell in love with their cartoon-like qualities.
Guillermo Mora, Casi tres, 2011
Guillermo Mora, Gemelos, 2011, mixed media
Guillermo Mora, Gemelos, 2011, mixed media, detail
At Galerie Krinzinger bright colors of de la Cruz’s work drew viewers into the booth.
Angela de la Cruz, Transfer (Fuchsia), 2011. armchair, wood, paint, box and chair
Max Estrella’s booth was filled with amazing works and this painting in particular grabbed my attention.
Nico Munuera
Prado highlights, Galeria Espacio Minimo and the Reina Sofia:
Francisco Goya, The Third of May 1808, oil on canvas, 1814
Francisco Goya, Saturn Devouring his Son, 1819-1823
Velazquez, Las Meninas, 1656
At the Prado, I had the pleasure of what seemed like walking through an art history book. Goya’s “Third of May 1808″ and “Saturn Devouring his Son,” Velasquez’s “Las Meninas” and Bosch’s “Garden of Earthly Delights” are all found under the roof of the Prado and that’s just the beginning. But there was so much more to see in Madrid.
Hieronymus Bosch, Garden of Earthly Delights, 1504
There was a group show at Galeria Espacio Minimo with work by Susan Collis and Liliana Porter.
Susan Collis in group show at Espacio Minimo
Nono Bandera, s/t, 2011 at Espacio Minimo
The show also included two Spanish artists whose work I had never seen. In Nono Bandera’s installation, the artist sources old drawings and photographs from flea markets and then paints over them, creating his own world. Small wonders of found objects are strategically placed on a desk and with drawers open, the viewer feels like a voyeur, peeking into someone else’s world.
Juan Luis Moraza
Juan Luis Moraza’s sculptures use skin like textures on household objects and functional items. The works combine wood and metals and beg the viewer to walk fully around them to see every angle. And of course, Liliana Porter’s works play with scale and have elements of humor as well as societal commentary.
Liliana Porter Installation
The Reina Sofia:
Nicole at the Reina Sofia
A beautiful Calder is found in the courtyard in the center of the Museum.
Joan Miro
Antoni Tapies
Miro and Tapies works can be found in almost every gallery. A treasure trove if you like their works. And it was capped off by a gorgeous sunset from the window of the Reina Sofia.
Sunset from the Reina Sofia window
Sunset from the Reina Sofia window
There was also a Hans Haacke special exhibition. I found this piece one of the most visually interesting in the show.
Haacke Installation view
Nicole Berry is the Deputy Director for EXPO CHICAGO and writes the monthly newsletter Accessible Art.