Cristina Iglesias: Under and In Between surveys 20 years of captivating work from one of Spain's most renowned artists.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., March 21, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, the nation's premier botanic and sculpture experience, is honored to announce a major exhibition of works by Spanish artist Cristina Iglesias.
Cristina Iglesias: Under and In Between will run April 28–September 24, 2023.
One of Spain's most celebrated artists, Cristina Iglesias was born in San Sebastián and now lives in Madrid. Iglesias is a leading figure in the international art world, known for her sculptures that explore the relationship between architecture, landscape and nature. Her work often incorporates water, plants, and other natural materials to create immersive and thought-provoking viewer experiences.
Iglesias is a sculptor of space and atmosphere. In projects that range from underwater sculptures to citywide installations, she poetically redefines our spatial experience. The artist's upcoming exhibition at Meijer Gardens, Cristina Iglesias: Under and In Between—her first United States museum exhibition in more than two decades—surveys a range of work from the past 20 years including wall reliefs, metal silk screens, liquid sculptures, and video. The exhibition will provide an immersive experience, engaging visitors in rich, multisensory typographies.
Iglesias has increasingly incorporated water into her art. Within this exhibition, Phreatic Zone II—a shallow pool below ground level with water flowing over sculpted terrain—directs the viewer's attention to hidden sources. Water's sonic pull is key to Iglesias's pozo (well) sculptures. Pozo XI, recently installed in the Tassell–Wisner–Bottrall English Perennial Garden as part of Meijer Gardens permanent sculpture collection, extends the exhibition outward from the galleries and creates a play between interior and exterior spaces that are central to her work. Similarly, the outdoor world of flora is brought indoors through Iglesias' ongoing Entwined series of mural reliefs. These cast aluminum sculptures spread across the gallery walls like dense invasive vegetation, aggressive hybrids of industry and nature. Also on view will be two films from the artist's Guided Tour series, which transport viewers to various urban and rural locales.
EXHIBITION ACTIVITIES:
The Art and Ecology of Water
Saturday, May 20, 11 am–12 pm
Included with admission
Dylan AT Miner, PhD, Dean and Professor of the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities at Michigan State University
From communing to controlling to calling for action, artists from diverse countries and cultures have long addressed humanity's complex relationship with the natural world in their work. Join Dr. Dylan Miner—artist, activist, scholar, and citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario—to discuss artwork exploring the intersection of humanity and water. Learn about tradition and current trends, from Indigenous practices to the work of Cristina Iglesias.
Gallery Walk
Saturday, June 10, 11 am–12 pm
Included with admission
Amber Oudsema, Curator of Arts Education at Meijer Gardens and Adjunct Professor of Art History at Grand Valley State University
Explore the mysterious world of Cristina Iglesias' underground pools and entwined growth—a signature aesthetic both metallic and organic. Discuss the juxtaposition of human-made and natural passages, phreatic zones, shadow, and light in Iglesias' work during this guided walk through the exhibition with Amber Oudsema, Curator of Arts Education.
Maintaining Our Waterways: How We Can Help
Saturday, August 12, 11 am–12 pm
Included with admission
Barney Boyer and Dana Strouse with the Nonpoint Source Pollution Department of the Water Resource Division from the State of Michigan
Michigan is an ideal place to host an exhibition of Cristina Iglesias' work, given the deep connection many Michiganders feel to the waters and natural environment that surround us. Join members of Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy—who provide technical assistance to restore waters impacted by pollution and protect high-quality waters from pollution threats—to learn what we can do to help keep our water clean and safe.
A full list of exhibition activities can be found at: MeijerGardens.org/calendar
Cristina Iglesias: Under and In Between has been organized by Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in association with the artist's studio.
Cristina Iglesias: Under and In Between is made possible by:
The Meijer Foundation
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Foundation
Botanic and Sculpture Societies of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
Marian Goodman Gallery
About Cristina Iglesias
Cristina Iglesias' installations and sculptures have been shown at Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Whitechapel Gallery, London; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York and Bilbao; and Tate Modern, London; among others. Recent public sculptures include Wet Labyrinth (With Spontaneous Landscape) at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, London; Landscape and Memory at Madison Square Park, New York; Sea Cave (Entrance), MICAS, Malta; Hondalea at Lighthouse of Santa Clara Island, San Sebastian; Inner Landscape (The Lithosphere, The Roots, The Water), Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and Forgotten Streams at Bloomberg Headquarters in London. In 2020 she was awarded the London's Royal Academy Architecture Prize. She has represented Spain at the 1986 and 1993 Venice Biennales and at the 2012 Sydney Biennale. Among her many recognitions are the Spanish National Prize for Visual Arts in 2000 and the 2020 Royal Academy Architecture Prize, for which she is the first non-architect recipient.
About Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, one of the world's most significant botanic and sculpture experiences, was recently listed in the top 45 most visited museums in the world and the 30 most visited museums in the United States by The Art Newspaper, the leading global art news publication. Education programs welcome 80,000 students and guests each year. Culinary Arts & Events offerings include weddings, corporate meetings, and award-winning catering. The 158-acre main campus features Michigan's largest tropical conservatory; one of the country's largest interactive children's gardens; arid and Victorian gardens with bronze sculptures by Edgar Degas and Auguste Rodin; a carnivorous plant house; outdoor gardens, including a replica 1930s-era farm garden; an eight-acre Japanese garden featuring contemporary sculpture; and a 1,900-seat outdoor Amphitheater Garden, showcasing an eclectic mix of world-renowned touring musicians each summer. The permanent collection highlights hundreds of sculptures from internationally acclaimed artists Magdalena Abakanowicz, El Anatsui, Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Mark di Suvero, Marshall Fredericks, Henry Moore, Michele Oka Donor, Beverly Pepper, Jaume Plensa, Auguste Rodin, Richard Serra, Yinka Shonibare CBE and Ai Weiwei, among others. Indoor galleries with changing sculpture exhibitions have hosted shows by Jonathan Borofsky, Edgar Degas, Jim Dine, Laura Ford, Richard Hunt, Rebecca Louise Law, Pablo Picasso, George Segal and others.
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park promotes the enjoyment, understanding and appreciation of gardens, sculpture, the natural environment, and the arts.
Media Contact
John VanderHaagen, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, 616-975-3180, [email protected]
SOURCE Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
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