Mad about Madrid

I thoroughly enjoyed a visit to Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía.  The temporary exhibitions were truly contemporary and I felt I could really engage with the work. Interesting work by Tracey Rose was sure to provoke the “That’s Not Art!” brigade, all the more appealing in my view. Here is a link to some of her other video work-  Tracey Rose "The Prelude The Gardenpath"

The work of Elly Strik also grabbed my attention, very haunting images.  I imagine they would be even more so off the white walls of a gallery. Check it out - www.ellystrik.com

Madrid street art

Playgrounds: Reinventing the Square was a good example of documentation as/in art.  It sparked a long conversation about play, playgrounds and the way space is dictated to children.  I become frustrated when I hear adults lament the loss of open space and the time when kids could play for hours with little more than a stick and their imaginations.  Children did not have busy schedules and helicopter parents when I was young. Families were bigger so there were usually lots of playmates and the fear of litigation did not drive local authorities to create sterile playgrounds and public spaces.  We have been on a three month quest to find play areas for the Ninja Monkey, first in Italy and then in Spain.  Madrid is currently our favourite kid friendly city. There are small playgrounds everywhere and some larger ones with climbing equipment.   Watching the LWNM on a swing yesterday I realized he was in deep mediation. The world around him had ceased to exist.

The museums and galleries we have visited thus far, in Italy and Spain, have also been less stressful for us as parents because the security around the exhibitions is low key. We have only encountered one electronic sensor, which we managed not to set off.

The Lego Wielding Ninja Monkey, now 7, readily engages with contemporary art exhibitions.  His running commentary can be insightful, funny, rude and sometimes scathing. I prefer not to mediate the experience. He doesn’t need to hear my prejudices. If he wants to discuss he will. If he has a question I try to answer it.

Visiting Classical art exhibitions with the LWNM is problematic for many reasons.  Firstly, the works often depict violence and grotesque imagery for which he has little tolerance. Secondly, we are not Christians so he has no knowledge of the stories the works portray and is not interested in explanations of the biblical references. Thirdly, the themes are repetitive so he gets bored. Finally, the ticket purchase and entry into the museums housing these works is often slow and sometimes unnecessarily complex.  If I’m honest I don’t really enjoy the experience much myself.  We managed to see some Bosch and Goya during our visit to Museo Nacional Del Prado by showing the LWNM how the eyes in some figures follow you around the room.  He was fascinated by the explanation and enjoyed finding examples through the gallery.  

The art I am enjoying the most is street art. As well as great graffiti artists, many of the shop owners have their front roller doors painted. When the shops close at night and for siesta, the streets are colourful and interesting rather than a sea of dull, dirty, grey metal.