Avelino Sala's La Tempestad at CentroCentro: Borges, Goya, and the Contemporary Storm
Until September 20, CentroCentro in Madrid hosts Avelino Sala's exhibition titled La Tempestad (El jardín de los senderos que se bifurcan), curated by Semíramis González. The artist, who was born in 1972 in Spain, reinterprets Borges's labyrinth while drawing connections to Shakespeare's The Tempest and Giorgione's artwork. The exhibition showcases 68 semi-transparent knives, a piece called Violencia invisible (instante y peligro) inspired by Robert Wilson's Woyzeck, and Museo arqueológico de nuestro tiempo, which includes 48 protest rocks. Un mundo feliz addresses the paralysis of the UN through the flags of its five permanent members. Additional pieces feature neon lines from Alejandra Pizarnik, Goya engravings alongside historical images, vibrant murals with social messages, a porcelain skull, and 30 illuminated boxer dog sculptures, all reflecting on themes of violence and control.
Key facts
- Avelino Sala's La Tempestad (El jardín de los senderos que se bifurcan) is on view at CentroCentro in Madrid until September 20.
- The exhibition is curated by Semíramis González, director of LABoral in Gijón, and will later travel to that center.
- Avelino Sala was born in Spain in 1972.
- The show opens with an installation of 68 semi-transparent knives that appear to lunge at the viewer.
- Museo arqueológico de nuestro tiempo comprises 48 rocks collected from protests worldwide, displayed in eight vitrines.
- Biblioteca de Babel consists of three chromatic murals of 27 books each, bearing slogans from Black Lives Matter, 8M, and Fridays for Future.
- L'uomo delinquente features a porcelain skull from La Cartuja de Sevilla and 12 gold-leafed books inscribed with phrenological faculties.
- Vigilancia (Dog Days) presents 30 transparent boxer dog sculptures illuminated from within, reversing the viewer's gaze.
Entities
Artists
- Avelino Sala
- Semíramis González
- Jorge Luis Borges
- William Shakespeare
- Giorgione
- Robert Wilson
- Georg Büchner
- María Zambrano
- Aldous Huxley
- Alejandra Pizarnik
- Banksy
- Wols
- Paul Klee
- Francisco Goya
- Greta Thunberg
- John Cage
- Franz Joseph Gall
- Mariano Cubí y Soler
- Nicolás Maduro
- Donald Trump
- Vladimir Putin
- Benjamin Netanyahu
- Ts'ui Pên
- Miranda
- Próspero
- John el Salvaje
Institutions
- CentroCentro
- LABoral
- Artishock Revista
- ADN Galería
- La Cartuja de Sevilla
- VEGAP
- Amapola Creativa
- United Nations
- Black Lives Matter
- Fridays for Future
- 8M
- Toyota
- Amazon
- FedEx
- Nike
- Lacoste
- Superdry
Locations
- Madrid
- Spain
- Gijón
- Gaza
- Ukraine
- Iran
- Milan