Newman Popiashvili Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition of Ferran Martin. The title of the show refers to the city of Granada in Spain. Martin’s site specific floor installation is based on the architectural details of Alhambra, a palace complex constructed during the mid 14th century by the Moorish rulers in Granada.

Granada, is dedicated to the artist’s mother and it is a sequel of Ferran Martin’s 2009 installation To The Height of My Father in which the artist lowered the ceiling of the gallery to the height of 164 cm – the height of his late father, Manolo Martin. Upon entry the viewers were forced to physically experience the “presence” of the absent person while they became aware of their own bodies and adjusted to the dropped ceiling. Manolo Martin’s diminutive stature also makes reference to the Spanish ruler, General Franco, who measured the same 164 cm. This tongue in cheek parallel to the dictator of Spain made the artist’s personal reference historical as well.

In the current installation, Granada, Martin, once again, alters the space of the gallery this time by creating a new floor. The ground is covered with a burnt wood inlaid geometric pattern, creating a resemblance to the Moorish design of ceilings in Alhambra. The artist draws a parallel between the loss of his mother to the surrender of Al Andalus, the Muslim ruled kingdom, to Spanish Queen Isbella I of Castile, yet again establishing a connection with his personal history and that of his country. The artist’s mother spent most of her childhood in Granada, sharing her love of the region and its architecture with her son.

The exhibition focuses on concepts of memory and temporality, and the transition of personal into historical. The artist keeps questioning the different ways in which we perceive space and how this perception always involves personal memory.

Ferran Martin is a Spanish artist living and working in New York. His past exhibitions include Space is the Place, curated by Javier Tellez at the gallery and later at Sala Siqueiros, Mexico City. In 2009 Raul Zamudio included Martin’s work in the Bejing Biennial. Most recently his work was part of Lingua Franca at St. Moritz Art Masters in Switzerland.