Antoni Miralda

ANTONI MIRALDA (Terrassa, 1942).
"Soldats".
Mixed technique (lead soldiers in plastic bag) in methacrylate/plexiglass box.
Measurements: 35 x 43 x 14,5 cm; 65,5 x 44 x 16 cm (urn).

Through his art, Antoni Miralda recalls his time as a soldier in the University Militias during the 60s. At that time, he captured in his notebook everyday scenes from the barracks and portraits of his comrades, whom he considers innocent victims of the compulsory military service under the dictatorship. However, by means of lead figurines, the Catalan artist transfigures the negative connotation of the soldiers into a pacifist and anti-war symbolism.

A multidisciplinary artist, Antoni Miralda moved to Paris in 1962, where he began to collaborate with the magazine "Elle" and, at the same time, to develop his concept of "Food Cultura" or edible art. In 1971 he moved to New York, and since then has lived between Europe and the United States. Two decades later, already fully established internationally, he participated in the Spanish pavilion at the Venice Biennale (1990). Throughout his career, Miralda has held important exhibitions of his work, although the retrospective dedicated to him by the MNCARS in Madrid in 2010 is particularly noteworthy.