“Monument to Disenchantment” proposes a reflection on the current monumental reality, its poetic possibilities and its use as a device of power through two artistic interventions curated by Regina Pérez Castillo and developed by Pablo Capitán del Río and Luz Prado (1985), and whose creations have been based on the theoretical advice and cultural mediation of Miguel Ángel Benjumea.

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Pablo Capitán del Río's (Granada, 1982) piece is located in the center of Daniel Buren's iconic cube and is a "counter-monumental" proposal that reactivates public memory and awareness of a traumatic event that has been forgotten and, in part, concealed. This sculpture is a reproduction of the object known as the "Elephant's Foot" from Chernobyl, a radioactive mass that, after the explosion of reactor number 4 at the nuclear plant, melted four meters of reinforced concrete until it appeared in one of the underground cooling tunnels. It is, therefore, one of the most poisonous and life-threatening objects that has ever existed on the planet, and, strictly speaking, an aberration that would not have occurred without human intervention. Located in the inner courtyard of the Centre Pompidou (Málaga), it can only be viewed from a distance, since as a symbol it embodies that with which no living being can coexist, an object whose physical presence inhibits the capacity for life of any other organism.

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Luz Prado's (Málaga, 1985) artistic proposal establishes a direct dialogue with Pablo Capitán's piece. While the Centre Pompidou Málaga presents a counter-monument embodying the irresponsibility of power and, consequently, the suffering and pain of the people, the Russian Museum Collection offers the complete opposite: an anti-monumental proposal that celebrates the popular affection for an unintentional local monument, namely the Torre Mónica, a former chimney of the "Los Guindos" lead foundry built in 1923 and located in the Carretera de Cádiz district, next to San Andrés beach.

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Regina Pérez Castillo