Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1421642
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 OCTOBER 2021 4 ART Artist Cristina Iglesias unveils Sea Cave (Entrance) Cristina Iglesias's latest installation Sea Cave (Entrance) was unveiled at the 3rd edition of the MICAS International Art Weekend LAURA CALLEJA SPANISH artist Cristina Ig- lesias's latest installation Sea Cave (Entrance), brings to the surface that which may lie un- derneath. IGLESIAS said the piece seen at Hastings Garden in Valletta creates a profound and immer- sive sculptural environment through a ref lective engage- ment with public space. The artist said the work hint- ed at a liminal threshold, with the potential entrance to the cave, delving downwards to ex- pose stratified layers and an im- agined pitted hallowed geology. The smoother upper over- hangs contrast with the dynam- ic surges of underlying layers that bring to mind shoreline caves formed and eroded by the constancy of the sea. "Wa- ter, moving in slow or faster se- quences, becomes the unifying element of the work as it seeks to catalyse perceptual engage- ment," she said. Throughout her career, Ig- lesias has been defined by a unique sculptural vocabu- lary, building immersive and experiential environments that reference and unite architec- ture, literature, and culturally site-specific influences. Iglesias studied Chemical Sciences in her hometown, at the University of the Basque Country. After a brief period in Barcelona practising ceramics and drawing, she studied sculp- ture in the UK at the Chelsea School of Art in London. She started exhibiting immediately after. Iglesias said she was in- terested in our connection with nature. "I think art is a good medium to bring these issues to light. Malta, in particular, is inter- esting because it has all these layers, both geological and also cultural, and as you know, the piece, Sea Cave (Entrance), is trying to connect this cave to other caves around the world; well as the sea." The artist said that Sea Cave (Entrance) has a clear connec- tion to nature through rock and water. "Water brings the no- tion of time and sound – it also symbolises change. This, I feel, gives the audience a sense of ur- gency to see what is happening. Water is also a sign of life," she said. Iglesias said that she want- ed to create a place to reflect through her art, places where people could go and observe. "I want people to allow them- selves to look and feel and to activate their senses. What I've created is a sculpture that sym- bolises Malta. I've sources rocks and plants from the island to make it feel as authentic as pos- sible. Above all, I want to trig- ger one's imagination," she said. Iglesias Sea Cave (En- trance) was unveiled at the 3rd edition of the MICAS Interna- tional Art Weekend on15 Octo- ber 2021. The work will be open for public viewing from 16 Oc- tober onwards. The MICAS International Art Weekend 2021 will also allow the MICAS audience and the general public to meet the art- ist in person and hear her speak about her work. Internation- al curator Edith Devaney will moderate the art talk 'In Con- versation with Cristina Iglesias', which will be hosted at MUŻA in Valletta on 16 October 2021. The MICAS International Art Weekend 2021 fulfils MICAS' remit to showcase cutting-edge contemporary art and artists and bridge the global art com- munity, placing Malta firmly on the international art scene. Cristina Iglesias