Manolo Paz
Stone Worlds
Max Estrella is delighted to present Manolo Paz’s work for the first time. The opening will be held on Thursday, September 9th as part of Madrid’s Gallery Weekend program. After forty years of creative activity, Stone Worlds aims to resurface the work of one of the most recognized Spanish sculptors in recent decades.
Paz’s first exhibition at Fernando Vijande Gallery in 1984 marks the beginning of a career with great national and international projection. His sculptures are exhibited in fairs and institutions in Madrid, New York, Chicago, Miami, Brussels, Cologne, among others. In 2010, Paz starts his Foundation in Cambados, a unique natural setting to enjoy his large-scale sculptures. Concurrently, he dedicates significant efforts to the promotion of other Galician artists through a continuous dialogue between theirs and his work.
Galician granite has a major presence and stands out over other materials. However his sculpture has evolved throughout the years, experiencing different creative stages to making use of diverse media. The connection with Galicia, nature, and his environment is always present. This umbilical cord to the land acquires an anthropological nuance that directs the reflection to a sense of belonging within the natural environment.
The exhibition presents, among others, sculptures from the series Menhir’s and Cathedrals, both with a significant architectural character. Rapaziña is an early work that provides the viewer with a retrospective view. This allows the discovery of an evolution from a figurative approach towards pieces that relate directly with space. The series Reflections and Eclipses exhibit the use of other stone typologies. Smaller pieces are also part of this panoramic show; outdoor designs are adapted to the gallery space successfully.
As part of his relationship with natural elements, the ocean has a key role in Manolo Paz’s work since it is responsible for erosion processes and landscape formation. Metaphorically, we could say that the ocean’s memory molds many of his pieces and it’s an essential factor in the primordial condition of this work. Revisit the relationship between humans and the place is a highly important topical and directs public debate to a new more well-balanced ways of relating with the environment.
Manolo Paz’s (Castrelo, 1957) work has been exhibited in the Museum of Pontevedra, Torrente Ballester Foundation, MAC in A Coruña, Spanish Cultural Centre in Panamá, among others. His pieces are part of important collections, such as AENA, CGAC, or Pilar i Joan Miró Foundation. Recipient of the Galician Culture Award in 2016, his pieces can be visited in his own Foundation Manolo Paz in Cambados. Recently, the city of Santiago de Compostela included three of his monumental sculptures in its City of Culture, supposing a new milestone in Galician landscape.
