Marta Ibarrondo, born in Bilbao, Spain, and educated at the University of Pennsylvania, spent thirty years in New York City and now resides and works between Miami and NYC.
Her work is inspired by a profound love for libraries, especially those filled with the mystery of ancient books. The Great Library of Alexandria, a symbol of knowledge, has long captivated her imagination. This fascination began in 7th grade when her teacher gave her Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, sparking a lifelong connection to literature. Each book became a part of her.
Inspired by the concept of a universal library, she embarked on creating a visual counterpart—a library of images that encapsulates the essence of the books she’s read. Through her artistic process, she distills their meaning, working with paper, acrylic, found objects, and canvas for larger pieces. The interplay of typeface, color, and imagery shapes her work, revealing how these subtle elements can transform meaning and evoke emotion. Grounded in meticulous research, her process involves selecting materials that resonate with the text’s texture and conceptual depth. Thus began Alexandria, a project of visually re-reading and reinterpreting the literature that has shaped her.
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24/10/2024 - 02/11/2024
It Was Always Mañana is the first solo exhibition of multidisciplinary artist Marta Ibarrondo in Mexico City, curated by Sofía Sáenz de Santa María. The exhibition features works from her On The Road series (2022-2024), inspired by Jack Kerouac’s novel. Ibarrondo, a Spanish artist living in the U.S. for 30 years, has been developing her Alexandria project for the past decade, painting words and phrases from timeless literary works. This exhibition captures the rebellious and optimistic spirit of youth, juxtaposing it with the current state of the U.S., marked by apathy and pessimism. The works are painted on vintage maps (1940s-1959), symbolizing the passage of time and societal change.