The wild waters of the Basque coast, a lighthouse in critical condition, the peculiar geology of Santa Clara Island: these are ambitious ingredients for a sculptural recipe, but one that Spanish artist Cristina Iglesias (who won the 2020 Royal Academy Architecture Prize) has combined to staggering effect.
For the location of Hondolea (Marine Abyss), Iglesias chose a lighthouse on the cusp of dereliction in which she created vertiginous sculptural environment deep in the island’s rock. Now open to the public, the sculpture is set to become part art, part site of pilgrimage – a recurring combination in Iglesias’ work.
Top: The Lighthouse of Santa Clara Island , Above: Santa Clara Island
Found everywhere from inner cities to remote landscapes, the artist's horizontal fountains, submerged rooms and tropical mazes bring together literature, architecture, geology and botany to create immersive spaces that meditate on the relationship between humans, nature and how the two intersect.
Hondolea is no exception, but what can intrepid visitors expect? Iglesias has excavated the entire floor of the lighthouse. Below, cascading rock-like formations in bronze resemble the geology of the bay and surrounding coastline. Rhythmic, mesmerising water flows create the illusion of crashing waves. Aside from its artistic merits, the work is a feat of engineering and logistics, using a complex system of hydraulic machinery.
From its conception, Iglesias had planned to donate Hondolea to Donostia-San Sebastián and has worked closely with the City Hall over the last four years to create a striking work that incorporates the distinctive geology of the Basque coast and its rough waters. Iglesias explained on Instagram: ‘The piece is a place that represents the remoteness within the city, a meeting point for citizens to observe, think and reflect on nature and the importance of its conservation.’
In conjunction with the Donostia-San Sebastián commission, a new book, Liquid Sculpture: The Public Art of Cristina Iglesias, edited by Iwona Blazwick and Richard Noble, has been published by Hatje Cantz. The text sees an international roster of curators, art critics, philosophers, architects and scientists weigh in on the social and ecological potential of art in urban and rural space, informed by the themes in Iglesias’ work.
Top: Estancias Sumergidas, 2010, reinforced concrete with a neutral PH; Above: Forgotten Streams, (South-West Side), 2017, bronze, stone, hydraulic mechanism and water. Both feature in the book Liquid Sculpture: The Public Art of Cristina Iglesias, published by Hatje Cantz
INFORMATION
-
A new limited-edition Rhodes piano and Gibson doubleneck guitar aim for the starsThe new Rhodes Mk8 Earth Edition piano and Gibson Jimmy Page EDS-1275 Doubleneck guitar revisit classic instruments at a price
-
The new interior design trends we spotted at Salone del Mobile 2024These are the interior design trends to look out for in 2024 and beyond, from soft upholstery to conversation pits and low dining
-
Tiffany & Co nods to its theatrical history with a surreal new campaignTiffany & Co campaign ‘With Love, Since 1837’ sees Dan Tobin Smith and set designer Rachel Thomas create an offbeat set
-
Gerhard Richter unveils new sculpture at Serpentine SouthGerhard Richter revisits themes of pattern and repetition in ‘Strip-Tower’ at London’s Serpentine South
-
Peter Blake’s sculptures spark joy at Waddington Custot in London‘Peter Blake: Sculpture and Other Matters’, at London's Waddington Custot, spans six decades of the artist's career
-
Oozing, squidgy, erupting forms come alive at Hayward Gallery‘When Forms Come Alive: Sixty Years of Restless Sculpture’ at Hayward Gallery, London, is a group show full of twists and turns
-
New glass sculpture creates a verdant wonderland at Apple’s Cupertino HQ‘Mirage’ at Apple Park is the work of Zeller & Moye and artist Katie Paterson, a shimmering array of glass columns that snakes through the grounds of the company’s monumental HQ
-
Helmut Newton’s life and work to be celebrated in a major exhibition in A Coruña, Spain‘Helmut Newton - Fact & Fiction’, created with the Helmut Newton Foundation, will open at the Marta Ortega Pérez (MOP) Foundation in November 2023
-
Man Ray’s sculptures go on show in New York‘Man Ray: Other Objects’ opens at Luxembourg + Co, New York, revealing their author’s ‘artistic revolution’
-
The best London art exhibitions to see nowYour guide to the best London art exhibitions, as chosen by the Wallpaper* arts desk
-
Erwin Wurm’s pop-coloured fantasy land at Yorkshire Sculpture ParkIn Erwin Wurm’s first UK museum show, ‘Trap of the Truth’, the artist transforms Yorkshire Sculpture Park into a slightly warped wonderland (10 June 2023 – 28 April 2024)
