Permanent Collection
Ana Laura ALÁEZ
Bridge of Light resembles a hexagonal pedestal that has fallen on its side, revealing a hollow interior that could be construed as either a tunnel or a human body in repose. Geometric in shape, the sculpture functions as an open passage that allows the viewer to observe the work both inside and out. The sculpture’s invitation to step inside, aided by soft, ambient music, transforms the relationship between the audience and the work and subverts our traditional image of what sculpture should be.
What is sculpture? This is the question posed by Bridge of Light, and it is one that Ana Laura Aláez has been asking since the very beginning of her career. While extremely artistic in theme, it also challenges traditionally masculine images of strength, firmness, and rugged physicality, which are characteristics not only demanded of individuals by society but also typically valued in sculpture.
This attempt to dismantle such stereotypical concepts can be seen as Aláez advocating for what she may interpret as an ideal society.
Photo : Oyamada Kuniya
Ana Laura ALÁEZ
Born 1964 in Bilbao, Spain, Ana Laura Aláez lives and works on Mallorca in the Balearic Islands. Aláez studied art at the University of the Basque Country. Since her first solo exhibition, “Superficie,” at Fundació Joan Miró (Madrid, Spain, 1992), her work has been shown at domestic and international exhibitions and institutions, including “Dance & Disco” at Museo Reina Sofía (Madrid, 2000), the Spanish pavilion at the 49th Venice Biennale (2001) and the solo exhibition, “Hell Disco,” at the Helsinki Art Museum and Centro Cultural de España en México (2004-2005).
2008
Steel, glass, neon
370×768×320 cm
Interview with Ana Laura Aláez (PDF)
interviewer： NAKAGAWA Chieko (Towada Art Center)
February 15, 2022
