Bombas Gens's Modernist Garden
Bombas Gens has transformedinto a garden what waspreviously the factory's backyard: A 1.147m2 peaceful space that inherits a modernist tradition and creates a lush and colourful garden.
The design, signed by landscapist Gustavo Marina, responds to a dense layer that overheads a series of vegetable compositions of more than 100 different species, which have been mixed up in order to generate a naturalised environment. Broad leaf species with intense greens are located next to a myriad of flowers arranged as compositional scenes, enhancing the modernist spirit of the garden.
It includes citrus fruits and pomegranate trees—recalling the vegetable garden that was once —palm trees and a jacaranda, alluding to what was inside Doctor Trigo's factory commonly knownamong the neighbours as "l'arbre" (the tree). In this botanical palette we can find species that attract birds and butterflies. Species of great interest such as Lagerstroemiaindica or an exceptional Camellia Sasanqua can be seen as well.
The garden recalls the period when Bombas Gens was built, and recovers the spirit of the place enhancing the value of the factory's back façade and the rodeno stones used as pavement. Today, it aims to provide a reflexive and quiet environment—the perfect ending after visiting the art centre—a place to stop and digest the beauty. A sculptural,site-specific work by artist Cristina Iglesias is placed in the area, and will be the stage forthe different acts organised by the Fundació Per Amor a l'Art.
CRISTINA IGLESIAS'S CULTURAL INTERVENTION
Bombas Gens's art is not only exhibited indoors. The exhibition space expands into the environment with an important sculptural, site-specific work by Cristina Iglesias, titled A Través (Across), as part of Per Amor a l'Art collection. In fact, it is the third piece by the artist to enter the collection in line with the philosophy of the foundation, which supports the purchase of more than one artwork per artist in order to be able to display their work more broadly.
The intervention comprises two ditches of 14 and 11 m2 forming a curve inspired by the Túria riverbank. Each ditch includes several layers of cast bronze low reliefs whose overlapped views show an abstract interior with elements resembling roots and the bottom of the river. Two benches made out of stones recovered from the refurbishment of the building accompany the ditches.
To create this piece, Iglesias studied the Túria riverbank and the 1957 floods, as well as the irrigation-crop layouts; exploring the relationship that water has had throughout the centuries with the area where the art centre is located.
BIO CRISTINA IGLESIAS
Cristina Iglesias, San Sebastián (1956) is one of the most well known Spanish artists. She was awarded with the Premio Nacional de Artes Plásticas in 1999.In 2012 Iglesias achieved the Grosse Kunstpreis Berlin, and in 2015 she received the Premio Real Fundación de Toledo and the Medalla de Oro al Méritoen las Bellas Artes, a prize given by the King of Spain to prominent Spanish artists.
Amongst her public artworks, it is worth mentioning the pieces related to the subject of water of similar characteristics as the site-specific work created for Bombas Gens, these are: Deep Fountain Leopold de Wael Platz (Antwerp), Tres Aguas (Toledo), Forgotten Streams at the Bloomberg building (London), and Desde lo subterráneo at the Centro de ArteBotín (Santander). Iglesias has also signed emblematic pieces such as Portón-Pasajeat the extension of the Museo del Prado (Madrid); Habitación de Laurel (Moskenes in Lofoten Islands); CúpulasKatonNatie (Antwerp);Passatge de coureen C.C.I.B (Barcelona); and Estancias Sumergidas (Mar de Cortés, Baja California, México).
Important collections such as the following include her work: Museo Reina Sofía (Madrid), Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris), Tate Modern (London), Museo de Serralves (Porto), Moca (Los Angeles), Hirshorn Museum (Washington), Museo Guggenheim (Bilbao), MACBA (Barcelona), Van Abbemuseum(Eindhoven), Kunsthalle(Bern), Musée de Grenoble, and Hortensia Herrero collection (Valencia).
Iglesia had numerous solo shows in museums such as Guggenheim (Bilbao, 1988); Museo Serralves (Porto, 2002; Ludwig Museum (Cologne, 2006), and Museo Centro Nacional Arte Reina Sofía, (Madrid, 2013).
She has participated in dozens of biennials and group shows, and has shown her work in galleries including Marian Goodman Gallery (New York and Paris); Galerie Konrad Fischer, (Düsseldorf); and Galería Elba Benítez (Madrid).
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
The garden with Cristina Iglesias’s sculptural work can be visited by guided tour only. Every visit organised by us —both art and heritage— includes the garden in its itinerary.