MIRALLES_The Blue Blot

The exhibition and the book Tramas de la Memoria are articulated around an archive that gathers all the events organized to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the death of Enric Miralles. This celebration -a tribute that honors his memory and brings together his many facets- is based on five exhibitions held in Barcelona and an extensive exhibition at the Royal Academy of Spain in Rome, all designed to explore the different dimensions of his figure. Always multifaceted, Miralles displayed his skill not only as an architect, but also as an artist, thinker, designer and teacher: a portentous creator whose extraordinary personality continues to inspire those who knew him.
Within the framework of these five exhibitions and the book, the experiences of the selection process of the exhibition material were also recovered, a committed and delicate work that involved delving once again into Enric’s archives. This exercise of memory was especially visible at the opening of the exhibition, which was a conversation between Joan Roig and Benedetta Tagliabue, who shared memories of those last afternoons browsing together through Enric’s documents and traces. The conversation not only offered a glimpse into the past and the intimacy of his working method, but became another tribute to his life as an architect and as a person, revealing the closeness and depth of his relationship with those who accompanied him.

The book also brings together a collection of personal writings -Wordsfor Enric-through the voices of colleagues, students, friends and family, tracing an affective map that reflects his ability to transform the everyday and architecture into something truly extraordinary. Each testimony expands the understanding of a legacy that continues to live on.

To materialize this reading in movement, the books rest on some of the most emblematic pieces of furniture designed by Enric Miralles and Benedetta Tagliabue, in sequence: Inestable, Dolmen, dos Troncs, Tropical, Lelukappi and Mystery, creating a choreography where books and furniture intertwine.

The blue color that characterizes the book has its origin in the ink sketches Miralles drew for the Diagonal Mar Park, where the free stroke anticipates the energy of the project and reveals drawing as a way of thinking.
The exhibition is completed with the presentation of archival material and a series of conversations held in 2021 with Rafael Moneo, Beatriz Colomina, Mark Wigley, Soraya Smithson, Joan Roig and Benedetta Tagliabue, which delve into his legacy from different perspectives, expanding the mosaic of views on an unforgettable creator.