Internationally acclaimed Spanish installation artist and sculptor, Cristina Iglesias (b. November 1956), presents two major sculptures at the Sainsbury Centre, UEA. This free Sculpture Park exhibition on display from 14 November places Iglesias’ work in dialogue with Norman Foster’s iconic Sainsbury Centre building.
Celosía XI (Hafsa Bint Al-Hayy) (2006) consists of seven terracotta screens that evoke the lattices in Arab architecture. Iglesias co-opts their traditional geometric patterns by incorporating words into the structure of the screens. Passing through the enclosures is akin to reading passages of text. The title refers to the celebrated Andalusian poet Ḥafṣa bint al-Ḥājj ar-Rakūniyya (1135-1191).
The immersive installation Vegetation Room III (2005) is a defined architectural space. The interior walls are casts of organic vegetation. The combination of natural and architectural elements complements the aims of the Sainsbury Centre Sculpture Park: to bring together art, architecture and the natural environment.
This exhibition reunites the work of Cristina Iglesias and Norman Foster, who have collaborated on a number of projects. Iglesias’ sculpture can be seen in front of the Bloomberg Headquarters, London, which was designed by Norman Foster. She has also created a canopy for the façade of the Norman Foster Foundation in Madrid.
Both works are free to view on the West Lawn as part of the Sculpture Park. A trail map is available here.
In collaboration with Marian Goodman Gallery and Cristina Iglesias Studio.