David Bestué Returns to Solo Gallery Shows with 'gran ojo' at Ehrhardt Flórez, Madrid
David Bestué is launching his first solo exhibition in seven years, named gran ojo ('big eye'), at Galería Ehrhardt Flórez in Madrid. This exhibition showcases a striking contrast between vibrant colors and greyscale materials, incorporating elements sourced from waste, such as shredded paper and metal slag. Bougainvillea petals encased in resin represent the LGBTI+ rainbow alongside these materials. The display includes large-scale installations, featuring a fibreglass wall and sculptures that draw on still life and contemporary themes. Among the highlighted works are a pair of chairs filled with salt and sand, a resin sphere containing colored eggs, and Palabra rota ('Broken Word'). This exhibition delves into varied conceptual and material themes, setting it apart from Bestué's previous focused presentations.
Key facts
- David Bestué's first solo gallery exhibition in seven years and his first at Galería Ehrhardt Flórez, Madrid
- Exhibition title gran ojo ('big eye') refers to tension between greyscale and pure colours
- Works combine waste-sourced materials (shredded paper, fabrics, metal slag, bone ash, sawdust) with resin-encapsulated rose and bougainvillea petals
- An enormous wall of fibreglass and bougainvillea bracts divides the main hall
- Two stacked monobloc chairs separated by a salt bar include a leg made from Riazor beach sand, A Coruña, nodding to Samuel Luiz, and another from earth from the Víznar ravine, alluding to Federico García Lorca
- The title piece is a resin sphere containing eggs in pure primary colours
- Office works include Palabra rota, a Pietà made in Rome combining classical form with Oteiza's reinterpretation, and a piece depicting Rafael Moneo's modular elements for Atocha station, previously used in Flor Hispania (CA2M, 2025)
- Bestué describes the stained-glass drum's theme as 'Op Art and catastrophe'
Entities
Artists
- David Bestué
- Samuel Luiz
- Federico García Lorca
- Cézanne
- Oteiza
- Rafael Moneo
Institutions
- Galería Ehrhardt Flórez
- CA2M
Locations
- Madrid
- Spain
- A Coruña
- Riazor beach
- Víznar ravine
- Rome
- Italy
- Castilian countryside
- Atocha station