Miguel Angel Albis: Retrospective “In search of what is mine” @ Santo Domingo Church

When: 07.04.25 - 09.06.2024

Where: Santo Domingo Church (Iglesia del Convent de Sant Domingo), Pollença, Mallorca

“Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over.

John 12:24-26

Santo Domingo Church (Iglesia del Convent de Sant Domingo) in Pollença, Mallorca, has long served as a space for contemporary art. The Museum of Pollença and the local city council frequently organize exhibitions here, primarily supporting local contemporary artists.

The retrospective exhibition of Miguel Angel Albis entitled “A la recerca del que m’és propi” (In search of what is mine)demonstrates how space can not only host but also enhance artistic expression. Albis’s collages and mixed media pieces, as he himself notes, draw inspiration from various cultures, including Huichol art (an ethnic community in Mexico), Australian Aboriginal art, and Tibetan art. The first works encountered upon entering the church are large canvases dominated by vibrant laurite colors, the figurative image of an elephant, and the outline of a human figure — reminiscent of carvings on skin, clay, or rock by Indigenous Australian peoples. Behind these pieces stands the altar, with Jesus on the cross gazing from the side aisles. This juxtaposition of religious iconography and contemporary artistic elements creates a striking visual tension.

Miguel Angel Albis, “Elefant d’elefants” (fragment), 2009. Oil, acrylic.

Since their inception, churches have been spaces where art is displayed and revered. From frescoes and icons to monumental murals, they have been at the forefront of artistic presentation. This tradition continues today, albeit in a new form. Albis brings his works, created over many years of artistic exploration, into the church space, offering them to a broad audience. The practice of exhibiting contemporary art in churches is favored by many artists and curators, as the church provides something that the white cube of a gallery cannot — an intimate, almost meditative contemplation.

“In Search of What Is Mine” is an exhibition featuring large-scale works alongside a video installation titled Destruir és innat, a construir s'aprèn (“Destroying is innate, building is learned”, 2005). As Albis explains, this piece was created in Talaya d’Albercutx as part of the Signals 2005 project. The installation consists of two cyclic projections: one showing the construction and destruction of sandcastles on the beach, the other incorporating a self-portrait of the artist, superimposed onto the scene.

Beyond the overarching theme of search, the motif of destruction is vividly present in the exhibition. The retrospective reflects the artist’s journey toward self-discovery — both artistically and personally. In this process, Albis invites the audience to become accomplices in an act of destruction: the destruction of the church space with temporary white chipboard walls, and the subversion of its primary sacred function. Yet, through this act, something new emerges — a reconfiguration of meanings, a dialogue between contemporary art and centuries-old frescoes and religious imagery.

Miguel Angel Albis, above: “Néixer”, 1991. Oil, collage. Below: “Construint”, 1996. Oil, acrylic, collage.

The artist’s very presence cuts through and reshapes the space. He enters it boldly, almost defiantly, as if claiming ownership. His chosen medium — collage — embodies this act of fragmentation and reconstruction, creating new meaning from the torn and repurposed. Albis’s search for the self seems inseparable from destruction, whether in pursuit of a new artistic language, an ultimate truth, or — as the exhibition’s title suggests — the search for what is his.

The retrospective spans several periods of Albis’s work, and while different themes and motifs emerge, one stands out as central — the image of the child. Who is this child? The artist’s own inner child? A symbolic representation of childhood itself? One way or another, it is only logical that any search for the self begins with childhood. As the Gospel of John (12:24-26) suggests, a seed must die for new life to emerge.