Arrabal & Cía: Forensic Evidence and the Poetry of the Shadow
We are sharing some images from our exhibitions at Arrabal & Cía, a vital reference point for contemporary art in Granada. These exhibitions were milestones for us, allowing us to debut pieces that challenge the nature of authorship, intelligence, and moral complicity.
Prueba Forense (Forensic Evidence)
A forensic investigation into the nature of artistic authorship.
This conceptual sculpture is a hand cast in plaster and glass, its index finger obscured by a delicate film of silver leaf—effectively concealing the fingerprint.
The work is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (distinct from the official CoA) which affirms, in Spanish, that the piece has been subjected to forensic analysis. Given the total absence of fingerprints, the laboratory "confirms" that the artist never came into contact with the work, thereby "crediting" the attribution to said artist.
It is a paradoxical game regarding the relationship between the artist and the artwork—and perhaps a quiet commentary on the contemporary trend of artists who no longer "dirty their hands" with the physical production of their creations. In many ways, it serves as a sister piece to Constructed Identity.
Apostasy
A sculptural discourse on the future of intelligence.
As part of our Life 3.0 series, Apostasy explores the concept of recursive Artificial Intelligence: a being caught in the process of designing its own perfection, or perhaps embracing the "apostasy" of its own flawed evolution.
Hand-painted and housed in a polished steel frame; a three-dimensional window into an imaginary digital soul.
Unsustainable Intervention
Part of the Woodman Series.
This sculpture explores the darker moral possibilities of "selfie culture" and the performative act of showing off one’s handiwork. In this piece, two woodsmen pose with characteristic pride beside their latest achievement: the severing of the cable sustaining a group of schoolchildren on a zip line.
It is a darkly comic meditation on complicity and the gap between intention and consequence. The collision of cheerful self-congratulation and catastrophic outcome creates a work that is simultaneously unsettling and impossible to look away from.
In Memory: Alejandro Gorafe
Our experiences at Arrabal & Cía were always wonderful, thanks in large part to the support of the gallery director and our friend, Alejandro Gorafe, who sadly passed away in November 2024.
Alejandro was a sculptor of international prestige and arguably one of the finest artists working in Granada. He was the embodiment of the "visual poetry" movement—very germane to Granada. A man with a unique sense of humor and a profound guiding spirit to all the artists who fell under his broad, generous wings.
Below is the piece called Circle of Blood (reverse binoculars in homage to Pasolini's Circle of Blood in Salo), a fake opticians eyesight test lightbox with me, me, me ('Yo' in Spanish)' replacing the traditional arbitrary letters of the alphabet. Alejandro chose this work from our exhibition to include in the Arrabal and Cia collection. Good taste on his part but annoying for us as it was our favorite piece!
