Following a preview presented at the International Contemporary Art Fair ARCO 2025, the exhibition “Singular is Plural” organized by Fundación Caja Extremadura at the Ateneo de Madrid celebrates the 10th anniversary of its Obra Abierta Visual Arts Prize with a show that brings together works by 12 artists from different generations, working with diverse media and discourses.
In the FCE pavilion for ARCO, the challenge was twofold: to give form to the intentions behind artist Maider López’s work — the sole piece on display — while also suggesting a broader collection. In this new exhibition, the goal is to reveal a collection composed of highly diverse artworks, giving each its own space within a shared discourse and environment.
The design for the Anselma Room at the Ateneo de Madrid creates a relatively independent setting for each of the works by using greenhouse shade mesh arranged in parallel lines. These screens are supported by lightweight wooden slat structures that, nonetheless, cast shadows to shape a striking and delicate landscape, making the anniversary event memorable.
The individual rooms for viewing the works are shaped by ‘filters’ that dissolve into a landscape of content. Constructed from light wooden frames and translucent fabric, these elements separate without isolating – allowing for connection, unity, and continuity among the pieces. The arrangement of parallel and sequential spaces brings depth and narrative to an otherwise difficult room. It was essential that the structures be lightweight, easy to assemble, often self-supporting, and leave no trace. For this reason, the design is bold, informal, and eye-catching, reinforcing the sense that the existing walls are unnecessary.
The green translucent fabric ‘walls’ are aligned in both the mezzanine and semi-basement levels, simulating continuity between them and creating “another landscape for another life”—a kind of technologized, playful, critical, and productive space that overlays the world we think we inhabit.
With white walls and dark corners, the green of the screens completes a landscape that subtly evokes a dissolved, camouflaged flag of the Spanish region of Extremadura, accompanying the visitor’s journey throughout the exhibition.