Josep Maria Riera i Aragó

JOSEP MARIA RIERA I ARAGÓ (Barcelona, 1954).
"Submarí negre". 1993
Set of 5 etchings on paper.
In wooden box with bronze submarine applied on the lid.
Copy F.C. 3/5.
Signed and numbered in pencil.
Boza Editor, Barcelona
Measurements: 10 x 42 cm (paper); 11.5 x 44 cm (box).

"Submarí negre" is a representative edition of Riera i Aragó's poetic universe, where the imaginary of flying and underwater machines becomes a metaphor for travel, exploration and industrial memory. In this set, five etchings of elongated format evoke the silhouette of a submarine broken down into graphic variations, between the technical and the organic.

The vibrant line and the dense stains typical of etching dialogue with the materiality of the object that contains the work: a wooden box crowned by a bronze submarine in relief. This sculptural element transforms the edition into an authentic book-object, where engraving and sculpture are integrated into a single conceptual piece.

The contrast between the fragility of the handmade paper and the solidity of the bronze reinforces a constant in the artist's production: the tension between technology and poetry. The edition includes numbered copies and out-of-commerce proofs (F.C.), like the present one, which underlines its special character within the print run.

Riera i Aragó is one of the contemporary Catalan artists with the greatest institutional projection. His work is part of important public collections, including the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC), the MACBA (Barcelona), the IVAM (Valencia), the Museo Patio Herreriano (Valladolid), the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Ibiza, the Fundació Vila Casas, the Col-lecció "la Caixa", as well as various municipal collections and private foundations in Spain and Europe.