GLENDA LEÓN IN BILBAO: SILENCE AS A PERCEPTUAL EXPERIENCE

Azkuna Zentroa – Alhóndiga Bilbao hosts Un árbol cae en el bosque (A Tree Falls in a Forest), an exhibition by Glenda León (Havana, Cuba, 1976) that brings together a representative selection of her work across installation, photography, video and other media. The exhibition is structured around “sensitive conceptualism”, a defining feature of the artist’s practice, in which emotional experience and conceptual inquiry merge through sound, silence and perception.

The project, conceived by the artist in collaboration with curators Fernando Pérez and Iván de la Nuez, takes as its point of departure the philosophical paradox concerning the material existence of a tree falling in a forest without being heard. From this premise, León explores the relationship between reality and perception, foregrounding silence as a space of attention and awareness, and proposing listening as a tool to reveal the invisible, the spiritual and the political.

The exhibition is organized into thematic sections addressing social, political and existential concerns. Works such as Mundo político, Campo de juego and Sueño de verano examine contemporary tensions including power structures, censorship and polarization, while pieces such as Efecto mariposa, Acerca de lo invisible and Contornos del mundo interrogate the boundaries between the visible and the hidden, underscoring the artist’s capacity to deploy a versatile formal language in service of conceptual inquiry.

El mundo interpretado para piano exemplifies this expansion of artistic language through the interplay between sound and image. Other works, including Cuerpos celestes, Viajar ligero and Espejismo, together with the iconic performance/installation Conversio, synthesize the key concerns of her practice.

Glenda León: Un árbol cae en el bosque can be seen until 27 September 2026 at Azkuna Zentroa – Alhóndiga Bilbao, Plaza Arriquibar 4, Bilbao (Spain).