“A
s a discipline, etymology is the study of the origin of words, but also of their changes in form and meaning over time. In this sense, the exhibition proposes an etymological analysis of Rafa Forteza’s work, paying attention to the evolution in his language over thirty years”, writes Esmeralda Gomez Galera, curator of the exhibition: “Rafa Forteza: Etymologies”, which closed on April 26th at Tube Gallery in Palma.
The exhibition featured a selection of paintings, sculptures and collages, offering an in-depth look at this well-known Mallorcan artist, who lives and works in Alaro. Tube Gallery, which opened a year ago in June, is a contemporary, two-floor space that lends an openness to the exhibition, allowing visitors to experience the whole of Forteza’s work while also being able to get into the details.
As the curator, Gomez Galera was interested in showing the circularity of Forteza’s practice, the rhythm and dialogue that he elicits between different mediums as well as between different eras. Works are presented in relationship to one another rather than in a chronological way, showing how a sculpture from 30-years ago naturally converses with a painting from 2023 and vice-versa. She writes: “Upon retracing the path [of the exhibition] it becomes clear that if there is something definitive in Rafa Forteza’s work, it is the sense of circularity and the experience of the cyclical, both at formal and conceptual level.”
