The two pieces in the MACBA collection are fragments of the work Anni, which was shown in the exhibition The Pliable Plane in 2015 at CAPC (Musée d'art contemporain de Bordeaux). Constructed in brass and measuring 25 metres in length, after the exhibition the work was divided into 16 fragments. The title is derived from the essay by Anni Albers, The Pliable Plane (1975), thus establishing a direct connection between sculpture, architecture and textile art. Made of brass and wire, these hanging pieces also evoke the work of the German-born Venezuelan artist Gego, in addition to the tribute paid to Anni Albers in the title. Leonor Antunes set up a dialogue with the abstract geometric designs of Albers, a German artist trained at the Bauhaus, who worked with textile materials interpreted with a sculptural language.

As usual, the starting point for Antunes’ work can be found in figures from the history of modern art, architecture and design. These are little-known figures, especially women, such as Eileen Gray, Mary Martin and Clara Porset. In this way, Antunes advances an alternative history of art that counteracts canonical narratives and focuses on other forms of modernity.