The Nerja Museum opens this Thursday, July 23, the exhibition 'Forms in Dialogue' by the artist from Tenerife, María Belén Morales, with free access until September 20.
The Nerja Museum is preparing to welcome a new artistic proposal. The Ana María Márquez room hosts from this Thursday, July 23, at 20:00 hours, the temporary exhibition 'Forms in Dialogue' by sculptor and visual artist María Belén Morales, who passed away in 2021. The exhibition, which will remain open until Sunday, September 20, pays tribute to a creator who knew how to transform scrap into artistic language.
Entry to the opening and the exhibition is completely free, allowing locals and visitors to enjoy a collection that includes drawings, collages, and sculptures created between 1994 and 2004. This period is considered the most prolific of the artist, who was born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where she developed her own plastic language that combined geometric abstraction with the reuse of materials.
María Belén Morales was born in 1928 and developed her career between the Canary Islands and the Peninsula, especially in Córdoba. Her work is characterized by the use of agricultural machinery and rusty iron, which she transformed into pieces of reflection. The sculptures, some painted and others left in their natural state with rust, engage in dialogue with collages and drawings that represent landscapes such as the cliffs of Tenerife, the Andalusian fields, or the Almijara mountains.
Among the highlighted pieces is the series 'Alfil', inspired by the chess piece, which explores verticality and triangular forms. The exhibition also includes large works that Morales presented in 1994 at the Balcón de Europa in Nerja, an emblematic place that now serves as the context for this posthumous tribute.
The exhibition has been curated by Danish artist Caroline Krabbe, who has selected the pieces to offer a journey through Morales' creative evolution. The collaboration of the University of Córdoba, through UCOCultura, has been fundamental in making this exhibition possible.
María Belén Morales not only created art but understood her work as a cultural action. She was part of an artistic network alongside names like Juan Manuel Brazam, Jacinto Lara, or Antonio Povedano, and participated in five solo exhibitions in Andalusia in two years. She also promoted projects such as the Museum of Contemporary Spanish Landscape in Priego and contributed to the Collective of sculptures 'Under the Sign of Mateo Inurria'.
The exhibition has been designed to be accessible to all audiences. The wall-mounted works are situated at a height of 1.40 meters to facilitate viewing from wheelchairs, and three sculptures can be touched. Additionally, posters and a visitor book in braille, a subtitled presentation video, and videosigned content for deaf individuals, as well as an easy-read guide, have been provided.
With this initiative, the Nerja Museum reinforces its commitment to bringing contemporary art closer to the public while paying tribute to a key figure in 20th-century Spanish sculpture. The exhibition promises to be a sensory and reflective journey through humble materials elevated to artistic status.
Those interested can visit the exhibition during the museum's usual hours, from Tuesday to Sunday, and consult the current safety and hygiene measures. Free entry allows for a leisurely enjoyment of a work that invites contemplation and dialogue between forms, textures, and landscapes.
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