The exhibition "Memoria raw" (Raw Memory) of Spanish artist María León (Merida, 1984) reflects on the notion of memory and raw state through granite, a rock that has been used as construction material since ancient times.

María León: Memoria Raw
October 26, 2018 - December 9, 2018
Sala Europa, Badajoz, Spain

Placed along the walls we see granite plates of diverse textures and finishes sometimes combined with different objects. The artist decontextualizes these plates, that have been conceived as material sampler to be shown in a commercial circuit of construction exhibitions and fairs, bringing them to an art context as a gesture to question the function of the artistic object and also reflecting in the materiality of the exhibition space itself.

In the video "Memoria Raw “, León superimposes various speeds and temporalities related to production and use of granite that appear mediated by a technological device. The video shows various material states of granite in the Spanish region of Extremadura, from its natural state in Cornalvo National Park to its industrial production in the city of granite Quintana de La Serena, without forgetting granite as ruin of a glorious past in several archaeological sites.

Memoria Raw, 2018. Video HD, 6´49´´. Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/269167712

Photography: all images copyright and courtesy of the artist