Mitsuo Miura. Imagined Memories March 2013 The artist Mitsuo Miura in Imagined memories, his intervention in Palacio de Cristal, he delves into two of the aesthetic themes that give expression to his artistic vocabulary: geometric shapes and pure colours. For this building, one of Museo Reina Sofía's two secondary sites in Parque del Retiro, his proposal begins on the pictorial level and extends to the spatial level, through circles of colours distributed on the floor and suspended from the ceiling. Exhibitions
Robert Adams: The Place We Live, a Retrospective Selection of Photographs January 2013 Joshua Chuang, the curator of the exhibition, leads viewers through this collection of photographs by Robert Adams. With a photographic style that is austere and direct yet also full of nuance and expressive potential, Robert Adams (Orange, New Jersey, 1937) has been widely regarded as one of the most lucid chroniclers of the profound changes taking place in the landscape of the American West in recent decades. The Place We Live, the first retrospective on Robert Adams to be held in Spain, takes a look at the main projects undertaken by this photographer Exhibitions
Kaira Cabañas and Frédéric Acquaviva on Specters of Artaud. Language and the Arts in the 1950s Lenguaje y arte en los años cincuenta September 2012 This exhibition looks at how Antonin Artaud's desire to transcend the limits of language – both spoken and written – lived on in the work of a series of creators linked to the avant-garde movements of the mid 20th century. The curators Kaira Cabañas and Frédéric Acquaviva take us through this selection that includes about three hundred works. Exhibitions
Encounters with the 1930s October 2012 The team of Spanish and international curators responsible for the exhibition Encounters with the 1930s takes us on a tour through this show, which is divided into in six sections: realism; abstraction; international expositions; surrealism; photography, film and posters; and Spain: the Second Republic, the Civil War and exile. The show gives priority to the connections existing between artists and the moments of fracture and stylistic eclecticism, emphasizing the diversity, audacity and complexity of the art made during that decade. Exhibitions
Nacho Criado Collaborating Agents July 2012 Nacho Criado (Mengíbar, Jaén, 1943 – Madrid, 2010) is considered one of the most important figures in the last 40 years of experimental art in Spain. The Palacio de Velázquez, one of the Museum's venues in Parque del Retiro, offers a retrospective of his work, providing insight into the multitude of media, practices and homages present in his art, and also their material realization. The Palacio de Cristal, the other Reina Sofía venue in the park and the second site of the retrospective, reconstructs the 1991 exhibition Piezas de agua y cristal, where cultivated mushrooms exemplify the 'collaborating agents' that give this exhibition its name. Exhibitions
Sharon Hayes and Lynne Cooke. On Habla July 2012 Conversation with Lynne Cooke, the exhibition curator, and the artist Sharon Hayes (Baltimore, Maryland, 1970). Using methodological and conceptual strategies drawn from various spheres of discourse, Hayes' projects explore the relations between history, politics and language, using performances, videos and installations to create a collective imaginary. These processes of documenting a historical event end up conditioning the gaze of the individual, leading to a critical reflection about the frictions generated between the public and the private. Exhibitions
Lynne Cooke on Rosemarie Trockel: a cosmos May 2012 Conversation with Lynne Cooke, the curator of the exhibition devoted to the German artist Rosemarie Trockel. Trockel's work explores different methods and a wide range of materials, thereby eluding classification. Her creations question the legitimizing categories of art, social order and gender identities. Also, in this collection, Trockel gives her attention to lesser known artists, chosen out of the empathy she feels for the frankness and inventiveness with which they look at questions that she too asks herself. Exhibitions
Hans Haacke Castles in the air March 2012 In this video, Walter Grasskamp, art historian and critic, and Hans Haacke himself present the exhibition Castles in the air. Associated with North American conceptual art and a pioneer of what is known as institutional critique, Haacke, through his work, questions museum, political and economic institutions in the context of today's globalized society. Exhibitions
Daina Augaitis and Antoni Muntadas on Entre/Between December 2011 Conversation with Daina Augatis, curator of the exhibition, and the artist Antoni Muntadas on Entre/Between. This exhibition, structured into nine blocks or "thematic constellations" is a complex, non-linear reading of Muntadas' work. In it numerous collaborative and multi-disciplinary projects are shown, from the early years to the piece Situación 2011, created especially for this exhibition. Exhibitions
Soledad Sevilla. Written in the celestial bodies November 2011 Conversation with the artist Soledad Sevilla about her exhibition in the Palacio de Cristal, in Madrid's Parque del Retiro, where she created an installation specifically for this site. Language, geometry, light and the spectator's experience are some of the elements that contribute to this exhibition. A large aluminum structure and a series of polycarbonate panels recreate a night sky dotted with linguistic signs. Exhibitions
João Fernandes and François Piron on the exhibition Locus Solus. Impressions of Raymond Roussel November 2011 João Fernandes and François Piron, the exhibition curators, analyse the influence of Raymond Roussel, an essential figure in the history of literature and a source of inspiration for visual artists and authors from other disciplines. The legacy of Roussel's poetic-literary universe permits a transversal reading of the history of 20th century art. Exhibitions
Manuel J. Borja-Villel and Elena Asins on the exhibition Fragments of memory October 2011 Manuel J. Borja-Villel, the exhibition curator, presents the artist Elena Asins' work and discusses the key elements of her role and her contributions to the history of art. In addition, the artist herself contextualizes her work following her collaboration with the Computation Centre, and analyses the multiple media and formats used in her artwork (concrete poetry, drawing, video...). Exhibitions
René Daniëls An exhibition is always part of a greater whole October 2011 Roland Groenenboom, curator of the exhibition, and Dominic van den Boogerd, art critic and director of De Ateliers, present in this video the ironic and imaginative work of René Daniëls. Along with his pictorial works, other materials and documents reflect the complex and conceptual work of this Dutch artist, who makes constant references to literature and daily life. Exhibitions
alighiero boetti game plan October 2011 In this video Lynne Cooke and Christian Rattemeyer, the curators of the exhibition, present the largest retrospective show to date on the Italian artist Alighiero Boetti. Initially linked to the Arte Povera movement, Boetti soon began to develop conceptual work, based on ideas concerning duality, the sensory and time, examined with the subjectivity of the artist. Exhibitions
Maja Bajevic To Be Continued June 2011 Conversation with the artist Maja Bajevic (Sarajevo, 1967) about her exhibition at Palacio de Cristal, in Madrid's Parque del Retiro. In this project, the artist analyses the consequences of historical and political conflicts and the impact they have on society. Exhibitions