Marlborough Barcelona is pleased to present Blanca Muñoz first solo exhibition in Barcelona.
The exhibition gathers a group of works made of stainless steel and ceramics that comprise from the year 2009 up to the present day, where the artist expresses her interest in light, cosmology and the organic shapes of nature.
Blanca Muñoz (Madrid, 1963) studied Fine Arts at the Universidad Complutense of Madrid and was granted a scholarship to develop her projects in Rome and Mexico, two cities that marked the artistic career of the sculptress.
During her stay in Mexico, Blanca Muñoz worked on engravings with steel plates. She later used this material on the making of her first sculptures. After her return to Madrid, the artist became aware of the importance of the Mexican experience regarding light and space and began to be more interested in lighting and cosmology. That fact made her investigate on the impact of light on objects and started to embrace her relation with steel to make curved sculptures. In parallel to this, she continued to explore the technique of engraving, adding steel rods in the flat surface of paper.
The sculptural work of Blanca Muñoz is hereditary from the scientific constructivism as well as her lyrical side: precision and intuition at the same time. The artist is also interested in the botanic world, studying equally shape and cellular organization of plants.
To create her pieces, the artist has set the essential reference marks by modelling and welding the stainless steel rods to add the branches, connections or deviations. The rigidity of steel becomes flexible and the gray color is combined with die cut or plated steel which can be green, gold, magenta, emerald, or cyan. This blending provides the sculptures of a mysterious movement which is generated by the waving of the steel and its chromatic combination.
The main piece of the exhibition, Candombe (2009), is a large sculpture with rods and
perforated plates of stainless steel. The blue perforated plates and its wavy shape empower the kinetic effect of the piece, endowing rhythm and musicality.
In the exhibition we also find other works of organic character, like Atrapada (2013), Venera (2011), Azorada (2011) or Alada (2014). With Bujía (2013) the artist introduces more color in her works through the use of perforated plates with metalized colors.
Blanca Muñoz, Atrapada, 2009, Varilla y chapa perforada de acero inoxidable, 190 x 360 x 220 cm
By last, a set of pieces of ceramics without enamel and steel rods are shown, a new language for the artist but it recalls her graphic work.
Blanca Muñoz has realized important solo exhibitions like, El Universo Transparente at Espacio Uno and Jardín Sabatini of the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, The Blue Dance in Marlborough Chelsea, Nueva York, or Circunnavegación in Sala Alcalá 31. Her work is part of outstanding collections like the one in Fundación Juan March, the Würth Collection or the one belonging to Museo Reina Sofía, among others. The exhibition that is featured during the Barcelona Gallery Weekend is her first solo
exhibition in Barcelona.
Courtesy of Marlborough Barcelona.
