Third Space installs in Catalonia/Spain
Third Space is about the liminal space in which I had found myself living between my own and my adopted country’s cultures for nearly half of my life. From the start I had wanted to share this sensation of liminality that Third Space can evoke with visitors in countries outside the South Pacific. And even more so on the other side of the globe, in Europe, in order to complete the circle. Fourteen years had to pass before that became possible. Finally my dream had come true.
At the beginning of 2024 I was invited by the art association Col·lectiu d’Art of Matadepera (Catalonia, Spain) to exhibit my installation Third Space in the exhibition space El Pla from 16th of March to 28th of April.
It was a great pleasure to install the pieces with the much appreciated help of one the of the association’s directors, Pep Busquet. His sensitivity, artistic eye and skills of placing the lights to achieve wonderful shadow effects made the space absolutely magical to traverse. His suggestion of using Musica callada de Frederic Mompou as background music added a special touch.
He had the brilliant idea to hang the individual pieces on a net as is used on construction sites.
Friends from as far away as Switzerland and from nearby towns and villages in Catalonia came to the inauguration. It was quite an experience to invite visitors, who were not familiar with Polynesian bark cloth and life in Polynesia in general, into my space and to answer their many questions.
El Pla is not just a room for exhibitions, but seeks to be a centre of reflection and exchange of thoughts around art and creativity.
It was a special treat to welcome my long-time Facebook friend Marta Salomó Martí from Premiá de Mar. Marta is a member of the Lacemakers Guild in Girona and informed her fellow lacemakers about my exhibition. They soon asked, if I could do an informative slide show about my work for them. A small delegation from Girona came to watch and listen. It was the first time that I gathered the courage to speak catalan, the language of my new homeland, in public. This slide talk led to an invitation to show Third Space in Gerona later in the year.
Andrea Eimke 