Summer Metal, Christian Lagata's (Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz, 1986) solo exhibition at the C3A in Córdoba, brings together the artist's ongoing research around the notions of conduction and construction.

On the one hand, conduction is suggested through a series of elements such as pipes or perforations in the building's architecture, evoking inner circulations and spatial trajectories. On the other, the exhibition features sculptural objects and site-specific interventions that reflect Lagata's interest in the evocative power of materials and language. These works emerge through a dialogue between industrial and organic materials. References to both animal and industrial architectures highlight vastly different models of efficiency, contrasting in scale, durability, and visual impact, yet ultimately responding to the same constructive impulse.

The exhibition possesses a distinct atmospheric quality. The use of light, the division of space, and the formal development of the pieces create a contemplative experience. The layout of the exhibition, the material composition of the sculptures, and their operative logic unfold gradually, in layers. To emphasize this, Lagata also intervenes in liminal areas of the building, such as one of the technical corridors or the patio, and integrates hybrid forms and languages within his works, merging sculpture, architecture, and photography.

While functioning as a large-scale installation, the exhibition assigns each component a structural role and singular presence. The sculptures and interventions proposed by the artist resemble architectural models, constructions, or presences that together compose a landscape.

Christian Lagata (Jerez de la Frontera, 1986)

Christian Lagata¿s practice explores the tensions between the materiality and morphology of productive environments such as industrial zones or urban agglomerations and the different forms of familiarity (mnemonic, functional, aesthetic) we establish with them. Beyond the logic of the objet trouvé, his work investigates traces of human interaction (past, present, or potential) with certain elements of these settings, challenging their economic and social classification as mere "waste" or "residue".

His most notable exhibitions include Tablao. Stage of Forms in Andalusian Contemporary Art (CAAC, Seville, 2024), Donde cruzan los humos (La Casa Encendida, Madrid, 2024), Haunted I (Voloshyn Gallery, Miami, 2024), Premi Ciutat de Palma Antoni Gelabert (Casal Solleric, Palma, 2024), Dialecto (CA2M, Móstoles, 2021), Between the forms that go towards the serpent and the forms that seek the glass (CAAC, Seville, 2020), Between Debris and Things (CCCC, Valencia, 2020), No es lo que parece (Fabra i Coats, Barcelona, 2018), as well as solo exhibitions such as Ciego camina (Rosenblut & Friedmann, Madrid, 2024), Una oscura euforia (Artnueve, Murcia, 2023), and Verde Chroma (Centro Párraga, Murcia, 2019).

He has studied Advanced Image and Sound and holds a Master's degree in Contemporary Photography. Since 2015, he has been active as a visual artist, particularly in sculpture and installation. After a period living in Berlin, he settled in Madrid, where he currently lives and works. He has participated in residencies at Matadero Madrid (2025), Centro de Creación Contemporánea de Andalucía, C3A (Córdoba, 2022), Pico do Refugio (São Miguel, Azores, 2021), Hangar (Lisbon, 2019), Fundación BilbaoArte Fundazioa and Mira Forum (Porto, 2018).

His recognitions include the Visual Arts Creation Grant from the Madrid Regional Government (2023), the DKV Estampa Acquisition Award (2022), the Circuitos de Artes Plásticas Grant (2021), the BilbaoArte Production Grant (2020), the Madrid International Residency Grant (2019), and the Iniciarte Production Grant (2015). He received First Prize at the XXXVI Muestra de Arte Joven de La Rioja and was finalist for the Premi Ciutat de Palma Antoni Gelabert (2024), the Miquel Casablancas Prize, Sant Andreu Contemporani (2018), the second edition of XX FotoPres La Caixa (2016), and in PhotoEspaña for Best National Photography Book (2016).

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