Aurelia Munoz. It traces an exhaustive tour through the work of a figure absolutely central to understanding contemporary textile art both inside and outside Catalonia.
The first collages, of surrealist and gothic influence, and Muñoz's large pictorial embroideries will give way to an unprecedented selection of large macrame structures from institutional collections in Spain, Europe and the United States. The emblematic star sculptures and the latest installations made with handmade paper will also have a key presence in the exhibition, which also includes a vast selection of drawings and models never before shown.
Despite the artist's initial links to movements such as the Nouvelle Tapisserie and the Escola Catalana del Tapís, Muñoz's practice transcends the realms of weaving, fibre or handicrafts. Combining ancestral techniques and contemporary resources, Muñoz responded to the incipient crises of the post-industrial world, paying attention to the impact on terrestrial, aquatic and aerial ecosystems, which emerge as major motives in its production.
The title of the exhibition, Aurèlia Muñoz. Ens, refers to one of the fundamental concepts in the work of this artist. The proposal addresses more than fifty years of his multifaceted practice, offering unprecedented insight and opening new perspectives on his unique legacy. The retrospective is organized by MACBA with the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (MNCARS) in Madrid and has been conceived as a choral project by the research platform einaidea (Fundació Eina, Barcelona) in close dialogue with the Aurèlia Muñoz Archive. Under the scientific direction of Manuel Cirauqui, director of einaidea, the project is curated by Rosa León, curator and researcher associated with einaidea; Sílvia Ventosa Muñoz, head of the Aurèlia Muñoz Archive and curator specialized in textiles; and Aída Roger, associate curator of MACBA.
An innovative catalogue will accompany the exhibition, with contributions from guest authors such as Melody Jue, theorist and professor at the University of California; and Ana Ramo, Spanish-Brazilian anthropologist and academic, as well as an updated documentary apparatus that will serve as a definitive reference for the artist's historiography.
Aurelia Munoz. We also have an interdisciplinary Scientific Committee made up of: Emma Ingala, full professor at the Faculty of Philosophy, Complutense University of Madrid; María Elena del Solar, doctor in anthropology and expert in textiles from the Andean context; Victoria Rabal, artist and director of the Museo Molí Paperer de Capellades, Lleida; Elvira Dyangani Ose, director of the MACBA; and Manuel Segade, director of the Reina Sofía Museum, Madrid.
The exhibition, which can also be seen at MNCARS from April 28 to September 7, is one of the proposals of the Aurèlia Muñoz Commemorative Year program. The complete program, led by MACBA, will be presented coinciding with the artist's date of birth and is coordinated with einaidea and the Aurèlia Muñoz Archive, with the support of the Generalitat de Catalunya.
Exhibition organized by the MACBA Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona, and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, and curated by einaidea (Fundació Eina, Barcelona), under the scientific direction of Manuel Cirauqui, and with the participation of Rosa Lleó, curator and researcher associated with einaidea, and Sílvia Ventosa Muñoz, head of the Aurèlia Muñoz Archive curator specializing in textiles.