Puerto Rican artist Heriberto Nieves will inaugurate a solo exhibition at the Museum of America in Madrid this November, a milestone for contemporary art from the island.
The Puerto Rican artist Heriberto Nieves will be the first creator from his country to occupy an entire room with a solo exhibition at the Museum of America in Madrid, as announced this Wednesday during the presentation of the show 'Desde el Origen' at the headquarters of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. The exhibition will arrive in the capital next November and also marks the first time the institution hosts contemporary art.
The show, which brings together 19 works created between 2010 and 2021, explores identity, family, collective memory, and the relationship between humans and nature. Nieves combines industrial materials such as black steel, stainless steel, or concrete with organic elements like natural leaves, in a dialogue that defines his visual language. The journey culminates with the installation 'Péndulo Natural', a six-foot diameter piece made with steel, mineral coal, vegetation, and LED light.
Desde el Origen arises from the need to return to memory, to nature, and to the elements that have shaped my identity," the artist stated in a release. "Reaching the Museum of America and opening a space there for contemporary Puerto Rican art represents an honor, but also a responsibility to the artists who will come after.
Nieves is an urban sculptor and visual artist with works exhibited in Spain, France, Finland, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, the United States, South Korea, and China. He is the first and only Puerto Rican recognized as a permanent honorary resident of the Cité Internationale des Arts de Paris and has received the UNESCO Diploma of Honour and the Alfonso Caso Silver Medal from the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
The exhibition in Madrid will be open from 22 November 2026 to 7 March 2027, coinciding in January with the International Tourism Fair (Fitur), where Puerto Rico will be a partner country. Additionally, the project includes the premiere of the documentary 'Regreso al Origen', which will trace the artist's journey and will be part of the permanent experience of the exhibition in the capital.
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