In 2007 artist Gema Alava visited her native town of Madrid and sketched Duelo a garrotazos (1820-1823), the painting by Francisco Goya on permanent display at the Prado Museum. “Men fighting with sticks” depicts two men anchored to the floor with sticks in their hands, their legs buried in dirt ... Read more
In 2007 artist Gema Alava visited her native town of Madrid and sketched Duelo a garrotazos (1820-1823), the painting by Francisco Goya on permanent display at the Prado Museum. “Men fighting with sticks” depicts two men anchored to the floor with sticks in their hands, their legs buried in dirt up to their knees, awaiting a cruel death.
In 2008, Alava created Tell Me the Truth, a series of nine black and white photographs depicting the struggle between a nail and a thread, both anchored to the ground, culminating in an exhausting performance. This body of work, exhibited in New York City and London in 2008, explored the potential of what Alava calls “contradictory truths.” Viewers were exposed to images that depicted fragments of a narrative that allowed multiple readings. “Viewers identified themselves with the thread or the nail in peculiar ways, always convinced of their own versions.” (Alava, 2008). Tell Me the Truth is a continuation of Alava’s investigation of the relationship between strength and vulnerability, and the diversity that exists between what is seen and what is understood, while confronting the public with the question: Are we faced with the record of an installation or with the work in its entirety?
