17.12.25
Claudia Pagès
No-Niin Magazine: Claudia Pagès text by Alba Folgado
(Hi)story of Lies: A Review of Claudia Pagès Rabal’s ‘ALJUB’
ALJUB, presented at Index, probes how language, paper, and power flow through History much like water, quietly shaping, dividing, and legitimising. This review also considers how Index’s curatorial approach and institutional framework support politically engaged projects, reflecting on the role of critical thinking within independent art institutions and the critical outcomes that can emerge from sustained collaboration between artists and curators.
"In spring 2025, Index – The Swedish Contemporary Art Foundation in Stockholm informally announced that, together with Manifesta, they would produce a new body of work by artist Claudia Pagès Rabal, whose practice addresses themes such as the protean history of the Iberian Peninsula, global migration movements, territorial appropriation, and the cultural diversity and mix in the Mediterranean region. In recent years, Pagès’s work has been exhibited at several international venues and biennials, yet, despite its relevant themes and gaining significant attention, it hasn’t been presented in the Nordic countries with the same veracity, perhaps because, at least in the case of Sweden, looking towards the south of Europe or including narratives that are not North American, Nordic, or anglophone is still rare. The co-production between Index and Manifesta culminated in the presentation of Aljubs i Grups, a video installation revolving around questions of water flows, power structures, paper, and language production, at Index as a solo exhibition titled ALJUB. The work was first shown during Manifesta 15 Barcelona Metropolitana, the European Nomadic Biennial 2024. Although the exhibition was presented at Index for only five weeks, its content – foregrounding critical histories from Southern Europe – and the institutional choice to host it marked an important gesture towards expanding the cultural and political scope of art discourse in Sweden.
ALJUB opens with references to publishing or editorial work; it can be read as a book. The longest wall at Index serves as the spine of the book, guiding the viewer through the content in almost chronological order. Part of Index’s curatorial identity is to explore editorial work as an extensive artistic practice. They have an interest in the editorial as a performative attitude, evident in their programming through the selection of topics and artists, and, in this case, the exhibition’s architecture."
Tags: exhibition
Claudia Pagès Rabal, Aljubs i Grups, 2024, Photo: Aron Skoog.