Spanish Artists Group Exhibition: Barcelona Dreaming

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Matthew Liu Fine Arts is pleased to present Barcelona Dreaming, a group exhibition bringing together three Spanish artists closely connected to Barcelona: Eduardo Arranz-Bravo, Alberto Peral, and Riera i Aragó. Belonging to different generations, the three artists share a common cultural landscape shaped by a city long associated with artistic imagination. From Gaudí and Picasso to Miró and Dalí, Barcelona has fostered a visual language in which reality and fantasy continually intersect. Rather than following a chronological narrative, the exhibition unfolds as a journey, inviting viewers to move from the intimacy of the body, through the world of form, toward the open horizon beyond the city.

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Every journey begins at the point closest to oneself before gradually expanding outward. Like a camera slowly pulling back, the exhibition moves from the private realm of the body, through the language of structure and space, to the meeting point of sea and sky. Along the way, the atmosphere shifts from the intensity of midsummer toward the cool openness of the Mediterranean, tracing a passage from sensation to contemplation, from the interior world to the distant unknown.

 

The dream begins with the body — Dreaming the Body. Arranz-Bravo's paintings immerse viewers in a vivid and sensual world of pink, crimson, and orange figures unfolding within interior spaces charged with desire, love, and urban vitality. Influenced by both Miró and Picasso, he transforms the human figure into a site of emotion and imagination. Here, the dream remains close to the self — physical, intimate, and full of life.

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Further on, passion gradually settles into order, and the dream turns toward form — Dreaming the Form. Working with Carrara marble, guayacan wood, and stainless steel, Alberto Peral distills form to its essential geometries, condensing Mediterranean light and architectural space into silent volumes. If the first stage of the journey is rooted in sensation, this one turns toward balance, proportion, and contemplation. Form itself becomes a language through which space can be felt and understood.

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Finally, the dream leaves the city and looks beyond it — Dreaming the Horizon. Riera i Aragó's recurring imagery of airplanes, submarines, boats, and islands evokes both exploration and longing. Through bronze, gold leaf, and mixed media, he creates poetic machines suspended between reality and imagination. The Mediterranean becomes not only a physical landscape but also a metaphor for inner voyages, where every departure carries the possibility of discovery, renewal, and return.

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From body to form, from city to sea, Barcelona Dreaming brings together three distinct artistic practices connected by a shared spirit of imagination. The exhibition does not seek to portray Barcelona as a specific place. Instead, it reflects a creative sensibility nurtured by the city — one expressed through color, space, material, and the enduring pull of distant horizons. Some journeys end when we arrive; others continue long after we leave. The dream of Barcelona belongs to the latter.

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The three participating artists are among the most significant figures in contemporary Spanish art. Eduardo Arranz-Bravo (b. 1941), one of the leading artists of Spain's May ’68 generation, participated in the 39th Venice Biennale in 1980. His works are held in major collections including the Getty Collection, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, and the Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA). Alberto Peral (b. 1966) has maintained an active international practice since his first solo exhibition at the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona in 1992. His work has been exhibited and collected by institutions including the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, and the Fine Arts Museum of Álava. Riera i Aragó (b. 1954) is internationally recognized for his poetic imagery of airplanes, submarines, and boats. His work has been exhibited at institutions including the Fundació Joan Miró, the MuMa – Musée d'Art Moderne André Malraux in Le Havre, and the Fondation Folon in Belgium, while his large-scale public sculptures can be found throughout Europe.