The Black Forest. Íñigo Manglano-Ovalle

The Black Forest is a project produced for the Museo Universidad de Navarra by Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle. His project takes the form of two cubes clad in radiata pine wood, carbonized using a Japanese architectural technique known as "Shou Sugi-Ban", which is over a thousand years old. This procedure creates a charred, black and silver exterior that is naturally resistant to weather and decay. The two 5x5 cubes will be accompanied by large-scale images taken in the Quinto Real beech forest in northern Navarre, which have the same texture as the charcoal that comes out of the charred pine. His printing process is also derived from charcoal, a material that is the focus of all his work.  

Based on the essay "Bauen, Denken, Wohnen" ("Building, Thinking, Living") by German philosopher Martin Heidegger, this construction relates to the philosopher's hut in the black forest, as well as to issues such as deforestation, nature and the ecological impact of contemporary culture. It is an implicit critique of our relationship to nature through the image of charcoal. The two cubes form a sculpture, but also an architectural intervention in space.

Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle (Madrid, 1961), a Spaniard living in Chicago, is an artist with a consolidated international career. His works have been present in events such as the XXIV International Biennial of Sao Paulo, the Dokumenta of Kassel or the Whitney Museum Biennial in New York. His work is included in major collections such as the Whitney Museum of American Art (New York), Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York), Art Institute of Chicago, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey (Mexico) and the Museum of Modern Art (Frankfurt), among others.

He has received numerous awards, including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Award (2001), Media Arts Award from the Wexner Centerfor the Arts, Columbus, Ohio (1997- 2001), as well as a fellowship in the National Endowment for the Arts (1995).

*Own production for the Museo Universidad de Navarra.