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of the reunion between our faith and a new reality. It is a reunion
with the aura in a post-aura society.
Light, colour, sound, smell, texture... these are only some of the
tools that the shaman uses to cast his spell. The witchdoctor heals
the superficial aura, disguises that surface of the objects and will
place them at a distance to recuperate part of their aura. An aura, as
it were, that is contemporary.
In 1989, Daniel Giralt Miracle, a prestigious exhibition curator
wrote: “An exhibition must have the discursive coherence of a novel,
the structure of a building and the rhythm of a symphony. That
is what it is a work of art.”
Discourse, narrative, space, structure, rhythm... these are all the
tools of the new medium. Powerful, absolutist monarchs were well
aware of this concept, and they invented the Baroque style and all
its technology at the service of dramaturgy. And modern merchants
know this truth and use shamanic magic to place our dreams at the
right distance to spark desire. Superficial aura, contemporaneous
and authentic aura: presentation and representation.
Let’s go back in time, to the sixth and fifth century BC. We are in
an Iberian village, near the Mediterranean Sea. A skilled craftsman
sculpted a woman’s bust in limestone. We don’t know if it was a
goddess or a funeral statue. It is almost certain that it was for some
type of ritual.
1887: some labourers were working on a farm and they stopped to
rest. 14-year old Manolico, who was helping them, took advantage
of their break to grab the tools and dig. He hit something hard, and
uncovered a fragment with mysterious forms. He has just discovered
the Lady of Elche, one of the most important pieces of Iberian culture
and of Spain’s archaeology. Moreover, this lucky find would
be the beginning of one of the most interesting archaeological sights
of Spain: la Alcudia, in Elx.
1941: the government of Spain exchanged a number of works of art
with France. Among these, the Lady of Elx, which until then, was
housed in the Louvre. For 30 years, it remained at the Prado Museum
in Madrid, together with works by sculptors and artist from other
eras. Later, it was moved to the Archaeological Museum in Madrid.
2006: after several attempts, the Ministry of Culture signed an agreement
that tentatively loaned the Lady of Elche to the Elche City
Hall. Well in advance of the said agreement, work began on the
Altamira Palace - also known as Alcasser de la Senyoria - to turn it
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