This exhibition of Cristina Iglesias’ recent works demonstrated the continued evolution in her concept of nature, her understanding of the process of artmaking, and of her ideas regarding architecture and light. In this work Iglesias “denaturalizes” the exterior, that is, she removes any reference to nature from the sculptures. Still this work may somehow conjure up projections of a long-forgotten nature; for example, in the construction of a landscape of sculptures. Thus, she allows the work to resonate beyond itself. Iglesias makes light a theme in these works by using various transparent materials. The installation also creates shadows of the shapes of the sculptures, and finally self-portraits have been printed in the sculptures. Despite this opening to the outside world, its reflection remains diffuse and undefined as it becomes merely an abstract source of light.

Iglesias’ work can not be divorced from its architectural dimension. The viewer confronts the sculpture, interacts with it physically and at the same time indirectly, for these works control the space and its relationship of the viewer to his/her environment. Her sculptures function as a subversion of the space in which they exist, a space that is both an interior (in terms of the exhibition space) and an exterior (in terms of their own internal organization). Hence Iglesias’ offers the viewer no fixed point on which to focus. Still, her work does not fall into an abyss of cold formalism. It is evocative, with multiple narratives, strong in its physical presence, while offering a space of refuge from the hard exterior world.

—Alexandre Melo

Translated from the Portuguese by Sylvia Sardeira.