The award for “most dramatic work of art 2021” may well be given to Spanish artist Cristina Iglesias who works wonders with natural forms (in 2015, she created an unforgettable underground river that appeared to run beneath Marian Goodman Gallery in London). Iglesias is now transforming the abandoned lighthouse on Santa Clara Island in the bay of Donostia/San Sebastián, a Basque Country beauty spot. Intrepid visitors will venture to a small rocky island to experience the public art piece (Hondalea/Marine Abyss) which promises to "be a space for reflection and communication” (more essential than ever in these turbulent times). The experience will be all-encompassing; as waves break on the rocks, a sea of bronze sculptures within evoke the contours and elements of the surrounding bay and coastline. The lighthouse project, scheduled to launch in June, will open with a symposium organised by Artangel’s co-director, James Lingwood. Contributors to an accompanying publication, Liquid Sculpture: The Public Art of Cristina Iglesias (Hatje Cantz), include Andrea Schlieker of Tate Britain and Ben Luke, host of The Art Newspaper podcast, The Week in Art.
Aerial view of Hondalea/Marine Abyss José Luis López de Zubiria