CONCRETE CURTAINS

2024
La Misericordia, Fase V, Palma, Spain

Xenia Lesniewski's artistic practice engages deeply with the everyday yet profound elements of our environment. She began this series during her residency at CCA Andratx, where she employed destruction not only as a process but also as a catalyst for creation. Through her multidisciplinary approach, Lesniewski explores the structural and symbolic fractures of contemporary society, encouraging reflection on themes such as fragmentation, digitalization, and transience.

In Concrete Curtains, Lesniewski draws inspiration from the contemporary Mallorcan architectural landscape, translating the textures and tones of walls onto canvas and integrating them into a clear brick display. These architectural forms—imbued with layers of decay and social tension—become emblematic of contemporary ruins, where permanence is continually challenged by the forces of time and erosion. Her work subtly evokes the destructive aesthetics of the 1960s, referencing artists like Gordon Matta-Clark or the Nouveau Réalisme movement, while simultaneously resonating with the post-vandalism sensibility of today. Through her manipulation of material decay and built forms, Lesniewski highlights the tensions between permanence and transience, stability and rupture, inviting viewers to confront the precarious balance between the constructed environment and the lives it supports.

Curated by Raquel Victoria Rodriguez López

Installation shots Yvon Luca