From the Cube to the Courtyard
Segno Magazine
n.01
Spring 2025
It seems that some galleries in the Mallorcan art scene are showing a growing disinterest in the white cube. In this case, the old tedium is not addressed by questioning the spatial configuration of the gallery itself, but rather by taking it a step further—it translates into a kind of escape to the outdoors. Whether it be a courtyard or a garden, some galleries are fostering new ways of understanding the exhibition space, creating proposals that give rise to site-specific projects where a dialogue emerges between the works and the architecture or between the works and the natural environment.
In this sense, Galería Pelaires has recently launched the PATIO program. While wandering aimlessly through Palma’s historic center, it is impossible not to stop in one’s tracks to peek into these magnetic spaces. With their soft lighting, lush vegetation, the texture of marés stone, and the coolness of summer shade, Mallorcan courtyards are an essential element of the city. With this new initiative, the gallery seeks to go beyond the exhibition room to host large-format sculptures with a more installation-based approach. The program recently featured works by Rafa Munárriz (Tudela, 1990) and plans to include artists such as the German Jorinde Voigt (Frankfurt, 1977).
At the moment, upon entering the courtyard, visitors encounter the exhibition Cut & Fold by Richard Deacon (Bangor, UK, 1949). This project, carried out in collaboration with Galerie Thomas Schulte, brings to Palma two works by the British artist, who was awarded the Turner Prize in 1987. Twofold Way CD (Black) (2021) and Cut & Fold #3 (2023), both made of stainless steel, allow Deacon to explore the relationship between form, space, and materiality. These pieces appear as structures frozen in motion, yet with the potential to keep folding and evolving in different directions. The contrast between this minimalist language and the architecture of the courtyard creates a dynamic tension that emphasizes concepts such as gravity and emptiness, while also allowing the sculptures to rest in a space of calm.
*Excerpt from the printed issue n.01.