Exhibitions
The Virgin of Meritxell dresses in moss on the 50th anniversary of the new sanctuary
Pere Moles brings to the Andorran sanctuary a contemporary reinterpretation of the patron saint of the Principality through a large-format installation made with natural moss.
The Virgin of Meritxell takes on a new dimension in the sanctuary that bears her name. Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the new Sanctuary of Meritxell, the space temporarily hosts a large-format image of the patron saint of Andorra created by the artist Pere Moles with natural moss. The intervention proposes a dialogue between nature, tradition and contemporaneity in one of the most symbolic spaces of the Principality.
The new sanctuary, designed by architect Ricard Bofill, was inaugurated on September 8, 1976. Half a century later, the building incorporates this particular interpretation of the Virgin, which introduces an organic material into a space marked by architecture with a strong personality and by the deep symbolic charge of Meritxell.
Moles' work is made from Cladonia stellaris , commonly known as reindeer moss, a natural material responsibly hand-harvested from the forests of Sweden and Norway. The moss is then subjected to a preservation process based on sea salts, water-based pigments and other components, which allows it to maintain its texture, volume and natural appearance without the need for water or maintenance.
Beyond its materiality, the proposal raises a reflection on the way in which a traditional image can be revisited from contemporary art. The Virgin, associated with the identity, memory and tradition of the Principality, appears here constructed from an element coming directly from nature. The moss ceases to be simply a material to become part of the discourse of the work: a bridge between territory, spirituality and contemporary creation.
The installation was made possible by discussions between Pere Moles and Father Ramon de Canillo, who explored the possibility of presenting the piece in Meritxell to coincide with a significant celebration such as the fiftieth anniversary of the new temple. Its incorporation into the sanctuary thus allows for a direct relationship to be established between the piece and Bofill's architecture, but also between contemporary creation and a place steeped in history.
The project is still in the process of being installed. Over the next few days, the final elements of the intervention will be incorporated, as well as explanatory signage, with the aim of expanding the story about the links between the work, nature and the historical and symbolic dimension of Meritxell.
It should be noted that this is a personal artistic initiative by Pere Moles. It does not respond to any commission or institutional production: the artist has developed and produced the project with the aim of making it coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the new sanctuary.
The piece, however, is not completely new. The Virgin of Meritxell built with moss had already been part of the exhibition Moles Molsa , presented last year at Cal Pal. Its arrival now at Meritxell opens up a new reading of the work, because its meaning is transformed by coming into direct contact with the space to which it refers.
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