GONZALO BORONDO. CHRYSALIS. Ab 9.2.25. AN DER FASSADE DER PRINZREGENTENSTR. 60

Museum Villa Stuck

Sunday, February 09, 2025 —
Sunday, June 01, 2025

Gonzalo Boronda bei den Arbeiten zu CHRYSALIS — Credits: @juancagargiulo1956
— Credits: @gazo_estudio_fotografia

EN
Spanish artist Gonzalo Borondo is a master of illusion. In his spectacular murals, installations and mixed-media works, he creates fantastic visual worlds that appear to be constantly changing, revealing the new, concealing the old and at the same time questioning the viewer’s perspective. Spatial boundaries dissolve, what is on the inside and outside merge into a sphere on which past and present seem to float. Borondo’s complex universe combines motifs of raw physicality with elements of delicate fragility, which – like a fleeting thought – reveal an equally strong presence. This creates multidimensional spaces of perception that lend the past new, contemporary impulses.
Every project begins with an intensive study of the location’s history. This is reflected not only in the choice of subjects, but also in the materials used. Each medium is specifically selected to convey the respective theme in an ideal way. Borondo is constantly experimenting with new techniques and combines traditional materials such as acrylic and oil painting with innovative approaches. These include scratch glass portraits, working with light and shadow and incorporating natural or found materials. All of these elements merge to create an overall approach that gives rise to mysterious and profound works.
Borondo designed the scaffolding for the main façade of the VILLA STUCK museum during the renovation work. The white and gold painting wraps itself around the famous artist’s house like a translucent skin, hinting at many things and displaying themes that are deeply rooted in Franz von Stuck’s artistic world and at the same time bear Borondo’s unmistakable signature. Mythological figures such as fauns and centaurs, Dionysian elements and motifs revolving around Eros and Thanatos are given new life in a contemporary interpretation. Through subtle changes in symbolism, Borondo turns Stuck’s Manichean concept of gender upside down and encourages reflection on a new masculinity beyond traditional gender clichĂ©s on an individual and social level.
The veiled façade rises like an urban altar above Prinzregentenstrasse – a visionary homage to Franz von Stuck’s Gesamtkunstwerk. The title ”Chrysalis,” the biological name for the golden-spotted pupal case of some butterflies, refers to an ongoing process of transformation. However, turning the inside out only reveals part of the secret. In the museum, as in the the artist’s images, something new is maturing: a continuous metamorphosis combines the transformation of the museum with the transformative power of art, and heralds possibilities for the future.
Gonzalo Borondo (Valladolid, Spain, 1989) is a multimedia artist who lives between Spain and Italy. He focuses on exploring the value of memory and heritage, emphasizing the historical and relational characteristics of spaces. Borondo’s multidisciplinary practice explores the traditional boundaries of art. He often works collaboratively with artists, designers and craftspeople to create multisensory artworks that immerse the audience in new worlds. Collaborating since 2010 with various institutions and spaces globally, Borondo’s installations have been featured in renowned museums like UN Museum (Berlin), MACRO (Rome), and Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Esteban Vicente (Segovia). The artist’s solo exhibitions have taken place in major cities including London, Paris, Madrid, and Milan. His piece “Merci” is part of the permanent collection at the CAPC Museum (Bordeaux). Since 2023, he has held a full membership at the Royal Academy of History and Art of San Quirce. Borondo will be a guest artist at Villa Waldberta, the residency program of the City of Munich, in February and March 2025. A continuation of “Chrysalis” is planned inside the Villa Stuck after its reopening.

Address: Museum Villa Stuck
Prinzregentenstr. 60
81675 MĂĽnchen

Venues

Filter shows all exhibitions and projects of contemporary art venues in Munich. Here you can find all venues in alphabetical order.

New content was appended!
Loading more...