Paco Cao

"Alma mater "

As part of the "Anatomies of the soul" cycle selected by Ferran Barenblit, the Joan Miro Foundation is presenting Alma mater, an exhibition by the artist Paco Cao.

Paco Cao made a name for himself in 1993 with his Rent a Body, which offered the public the opportunity of hiring his body at different tariffs. The Basic Rate was for his mere physical presencel the Premium Rate included manual work, and the De Luxe Rate covered the use of his entire intellectual potential. The project took Paco Cao to the United States where he had considerable success working with Creative Time, a New York organization promoting artistic projects of all kinds.

Leaving behind this idea of a public person for hire, Paco Cao's exhibition Alma mater is based on the same premise but explores its more intimate aspects. "Alma materis.a starting.point that combines the concepts of soul and motherhood, and has enabled me to link images and ideas around the peSrmanent duality of the emotional and the physical," says the artist, adding that "It also includes direct references to my own mother."

The exhibition consists of various objects articulated around two walls. Turnstiles invite the viewer to enter a space. This invitation is not necessary for it is not an enclosed space. The private space of the artist is always vulnerable, especially if, among the sculptures, are vending machines dispensing canned drinks, altered in various ways and covered with photographs of him and his mother.

Alma mater is a reflection on the search for an origin but also on the desire to delimit the artist's intimate space. It is, perhaps, the logical consequence of Rent a Body.