Just down Faena Beach, visitors encountered the première in the Americas of A Sight to Behold (2011), by Spanish artist Almudena Lobera (Madrid, 1984). She explored the nature of the image and its varying layers, the perception of the represented and the dynamics between work, space and audience. A Sight to Behold provoked the viewer to meditate on the spectacle of the natural world: a large red theater curtain installed on the beach invited tourists and beach walkers to alternate between the roles of ‘actor’ and ‘spectator’, turning reality into spectacle. The curtain separated and framed two facing landscapes and two different perspectives – a reflective angle on the ways we look at ourselves and the ephemeral aspects of our culture.
Almudena’s work has been exhibited at the CCI Fabrika, Moscow; the Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York; the Matadero, Madrid; and Pivô, São Paulo. Solo exhibitions include: A Particular Claim to Truth at Arroniz Gallery, Mexico City; Superficial Reading at La Taller, Bilbao; and Somewhere Between at Eva Ruiz Gallery, Madrid.