Ignasi Aballí has always been interested in how text modifies our perception and memory of a space.

In the series Lattices, installed on the windows of the arcade that connects the hallway with the courtyards, Aballí takes as his principle one of the traditional elements of Islamic architecture, very common in Andalusia: the lattice. Its main function is to provide privacy—allowing one to see without being seen—and ventilation in warm climates; by incorporating openings into doors or shutters, it allows air to circulate and natural light to filter “jealously” through these grids, while obstructing direct lines of sight.

In the CAAC, the artist entirely covers the existing windows, leaving as openings a series of texts that refer to sight, the windows themselves, and painting in general. These texts can be read from the hallway or the courtyards; these concepts are interrelated in the sense that they imply visual perception and representation, whether literal or figurative. One of the text-lattices is particularly related to Seville, as “Ni más / Ni menos” (Neither more / Nor less) appears in

the other vanitas painting by Juan de Valdés Leal, located in the church of the Brotherhood of Charity.

Designed as a site-specific installation through the five courtyards of the East Cloister at CAAC and extending into room E6, Aballí reflects on recurring concepts in his work and this exhibition—ideas that can also broadly refer to the history and space of CAAC and the city of Seville.

The work has been structured as a continuous, uninterrupted series of text statements, where the artist repeatedly uses the adverb “almost” to refer to various themes related to his work and the context of the exhibition. “almost” reminds us of an unfinished, incomplete state—something that was close to being achieved but ultimately was not.

Almost is both an indicator of failure or error, something that was attempted but done poorly or scantily, something that is not perfect. In this sense, the piece becomes an act of contrition, a confession. Aballí thus reminds us of the impossibility of achieving clear and definitive results, and how art, perhaps, is closer to imperfection, error, and doubt than to so-called masterpieces.

The work consists of nine display cases, eight of which contain colored pigments that follow the basic color wheel, and a larger one in the center containing gray pigment—the result of the combination of all colors. The pigment in this central display case has been directly obtained by collecting dust from the CAAC over the past few months, directly linking the work to the site.

The use of the museographic element of the display case as a container elevates color to the status of a precious object that has been safeguarded, perhaps due to its scarcity or value. However, when the display cases include the tautological description of their content, they become sculptural elements in their own right.

The three monochromatic mural paintings in this room are part of the Reading Images series and continue Aballí’s exploration of the relationship between an image and the text that describes it.

Each painting results from a chromatic analysis of a previously digitized image, conducted with image editing software on a computer. Through a digital synthesis process, a pixel with the predominant color of the original image is obtained, condensing the source image into a single color.

Aballí also recovers certain characteristics of the original works, reproducing not only the title but also their dimensions and the height at which they were hung in the monastery’s sacristy. This way, the viewer has access to descriptions of the piece but not to the original image.

Through this intervention, via a process of pictorial analysis and an exercise in historical memory, Aballí symbolically returns the three masterpieces of Zurbarán to their place of origin.

Ignasi Aballí. In ictu oculi

Curated by Geovana Ibarra

Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo, Seville

Text excerpts by Geovana Ibarra in exhibition guide

Link to exhibition guide

BIO

Born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1958.
Lives and works in Barcelona, Spain.

Graduated with a BA in Fine Art from the University of Barcelona. He has had several solo exhibitions, including at MACBA in Barcelona (2005), Fundação de Serralves in Porto (2006), IKON Gallery in Birmingham (2006), ZKM in Karlsruhe (2006), Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, Brazil (2010), Museo Artium in Vitoria, Spain (2012), Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid (2015), Fundación Joan Miró, Barcelona (2016), Museo de Arte de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá (2017), Galeria Kula (Split), and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb, Croatia (2018). He has had several gallery shows at Estrany-de la Mota in Barcelona, Elba Benítez in Madrid, and Meessen de Clercq in Brussels. He has also recently had gallery exhibitions at Proyecto Paralelo (Mexico City), Pedro Oliveira (Porto), and Nordenhake (Berlin). Aballí represented Spain in the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022. He has taken part in the 52nd Venice Biennale (2007), the 8th Sharjah Biennial (United Arab Emirates, 2007), the 11th Sidney Biennial (1998), the 4th Guangzhou Triennial (2012), and the 13th Cuenca Bienal (Ecuador, 2016). He was awarded the Joan Miró Prize in 2015.

Nasceu em Barcelona, Espanha, em 1958.
Vive e trabalha em Barcelona, Espanha.

Licenciado em Belas Artes pela Universidade de Barcelona. Entre as suas exposições individuais destacam-se instituições como MACBA, Barcelona (2005); Fundação de Serralves, Porto (2006); IKON Gallery, Birmingham (2006); ZKM, Karlsruhe (2006); Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil (2010); Museo Artium em Vitoria, Espanha (2012); Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid (2015); Fundación Joan Miró, Barcelona (2016); Museo de Arte de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá (2017); Galeria Kula (Split) e Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Zagreb, Croácia (2018). Realizou várias exposições em galerias como Estrany-de la Mota, em Barcelona; Elba Benítez, em Madrid; e Meessen de Clercq, em Bruxelas. Recentemente, expôs também em galerias como Proyecto Paralelo (Cidade do México), Pedro Oliveira (Porto) e Nordenhake (Berlim). Em 2022, Aballí representou Espanha na 59ª Bienal de Veneza.  Participou na 52ª Bienal de Veneza (2007), na 8ª Bienal de Sharjah (Emirados Árabes Unidos, 2007), na 11ª Bienal de Sidney (1998), na 4ª Trienal de Guangzhou (2012) e na 13ª Bienal de Cuenca (Equador, 2016). Foi galardoado com o Prémio Joan Miró em 2015.