Galería ATC is pleased to announce an exhibition of recent works by artist Cristina Reyes (Madrid, 1981). The opening will take place on Friday, April 4, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., at 39 Callao de Lima Street, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and will remain open to the public until June 13, 2025. The works on display include a mix of large and medium format pieces on paper, assemblages made with found objects and ceramics, as well as several videos that provide context for the exhibition.
The title of this exhibition, seemingly absurd, holds a deeper reflection. When someone “gets on our nerves” (literally "touches our nose" in Spanish), we feel irritation, discomfort, or may even lose control. This exhibition explores the significant process of learning to manage our emotions and improve communication, addressing the challenge of finding an authentic voice and the capacity for true expression.
In each of the works, the exploration of emotion becomes an act of revelation, stripping away taboos and allowing what is unpleasant, hidden, and repressed to be represented without filters or prejudice.
Me tocaste la nariz y lo perdí todo also serves as a symbol of transition. The artist returns to her roots—even though they may feel unfamiliar—building a bridge between London, her former residence, and her new environment. Based on objects brought from a urban capital and elements recovered from previous generations of her own family from the island, the exhibition becomes an exercise in which the old and the forgotten acquire new value and meaning. Included in the objects on display is a group of ceramic pieces made by the artist; throughout the exhibition Reyes will work on the unfinished pieces during on-site artist sessions hosted by the gallery.
The concepts of giants and monsters emerge in this exhibition as metaphors for inner struggle and identity. Just as in mythology—where giants represent the primitive and the excessive, and monsters embody our deepest fears—the works in this show invite us to confront our own shadow. Inspired by Carl Jung’s psychology, the artist constructs a dialogue between the conscious and the unconscious, exploring the archetypes and symbols that shape our psyche. “Me tocaste la nariz y lo perdí todo” is an invitation to face what makes us uncomfortable, to embrace imperfection, and to find beauty in what we usually reject.
The exhibition is a tribute to Reyes's mother and the previous generations of women in her family. A notebook belonging to her great aunt is among the objects in the display, connecting the disparate objects quite literally with handwriting of her predecessors. In addition to the works on display, Reyes has created "Parlanchines," a series of small drawings on paper, dedicated to the artist's grandmother, who passed away a year after her mother's death.
A descendant of Tenerife, but born and raised in Madrid, the artist has lived and worked in London for the past twenty years, collaborating with institutions such as the Hayward Gallery, Kensington Palace, and the Victoria & Albert Museum. Her work has been exhibited in Barcelona, London, Madrid, Milan, New York, Rio de Janeiro, and Tokyo.
