Untitled (Jealousy II)

One of a generation of Spanish sculptors who gained international recognition during the 1990s, Cristina Iglesias creates large-scale, minimal structures that articulate a delicate balance between the physical and the visual. Characteristic of her work are imposing forms made of concrete, iron, or aluminum, juxtaposed with intricately etched surfaces (often worked with rich waxes and patinas) and sumptuous materials such as glass, alabaster, and tapestry. Concerned with form and space as they occur in nature, Iglesias in effect creates her own pared-down, sculptural landscapes. Her roughly hewn yet sensitively modeled freestanding sculptures, though of generous proportion, are nearly all constructed on a human scale, and her compositionally varied architectural appendages generate a dialogue with the surrounding space, beckoning the viewer to circumnavigate them. Iglesias describes her work as "pieces that are like thought, places from which one sees, spaces that fall between reality and image, between presence and representation, spaces that speak of other spaces."

Untitled (Jealousy II) [Sin título (Celosía II)] uses a form drawn from Iglesias's cultural heritage—a screen similar to those used in the confessional booths of Catholic churches—to infer that the eponymous emotion is sinful. As Nancy Princenthal has noted, the Spanish title Celosía is the word both for a louvered window covering and for jealousy. As blinds function to keep out light, the title suggests the limited perception one is afforded while incarcerated by this irrational state. Permitting only filtered views of its interior, Iglesias's chamber functions as both a provocative barrier and a structure for ostensible protection. As with many of her works, the viewer is left to wonder how things appear from the inside.