ta.en

Tamara Arroyo
Spain, 1972

Tamara Arroyo’s body of work reflects a persistent inquiry into the habitability of spaces. She questions the «domestication» of the modern inhabitant and the consumption of certain formal elements and objects within contemporary living spaces. The autobiographical references in her work serve to articulate a discourse on both individual and collective memory.

Through her recurring engagement with images of the spaces she appropriates, the city and public space emerge as privileged settings of everyday life, marked by their distinctive identities and vast creative potential.

Through various formal approaches, her works explore how our surroundings and architecture influence us, distinguishing between lived, experiential, and existential spaces—those that operate on an unconscious level.

The artist emphasizes different intellectual states that arise in our relationship with our immediate environment, such as the emotional need for a sense of belonging to a place or the importance of peripheral vision, which integrates us into space. The latter allows us to notice details and situations that might otherwise go unnoticed, shifting us from mere spectators to active recipients of new stimuli.

She has exhibited at institutions such as Museo Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo, La Casa Encendida, Matadero Madrid Centro de Creación Contemporánea, CentroCentro, Es Baluard Museu, the Royal Academy of Spain in Rome, and the Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderno, among others.

Her work is part of the collections of Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Madrid, Colección DKV, and Colección Banco Sabadell.

Tamara Arroyo
Pared maciza como fondo para elementos ornamentales
2023
Stoneware ceramic
157 x 11 x 2 cm

Tamara Arroyo. La sustancia del ser. El apartamento, Madrid, 2024

A Fatal Discontent with Place is Tamara Arroyo’s second solo exhibition at NF/NIEVES FERNÁNDEZ. The show presents previously unseen yet significant pieces within the artist’s trajectory—ideas that remained on the margins of past projects and needed to take shape. Some of these works directly stem from previous commissioned pieces created for public spaces.

The exhibition’s title is drawn from a concept described by Jane Jacobs in her book The Death and Life of Great American Cities, which, in its strange or awkward translation, proves highly fitting here: A Fatal Discontent with Place. Jacobs reflects on the contradictions between monofunctional urban policies and the multiple uses of the city, advocating for an urban life that ensures certain freedoms and choices.

Tamara Arroyo’s practice is rooted in her own experiences as a city dweller. She explores this both literally—by salvaging found objects from her walks and decontextualizing them within her works—and poetically and subjectively, through references to her personal experiences, her time in Havana, or the way light filters through the street furniture in her neighborhood, for example.

By recreating devices of order and separation, Tamara Arroyo speaks of identity, individuality, and freedom. Through her exploration of ornamentation, tiling, craftsmanship, and wrought ironwork—elements still present in working-class neighborhoods and social housing—she seeks to reclaim the diversity that capitalism erases.

This exhibition is a playground, a scaled representation of the city. It is a stage that demands effort and adaptation from the visitor, compelling them to reflect on their own experience within the complex and ever-changing urban environment. Ultimately, it is an assertion of personal identity—a manifesto for diversity in uncertain times.

Tamara Arroyo
De la serie Un fatal descontento de lugar 1
2023
Iron
127 x 53 cm (left)
87 x 70 cm (middle)
134 x 63 cm (right)

Tamara Arroyo. La sustancia del ser. El apartamento, Madrid, 2024

Tamara Arroyo
Mezcolanza
2023
Enamelled iron
97 x 120 x 40 cm

Tamara Arroyo. Encuentro con el objeto. Escultura contemporánea. Red Itiner, Madrid, 2024

Tamara Arroyo
Pata de banco
2019-23
Iron, ceramic, stones, cement
60 x 57 x 21 cm

Tamara Arroyo. Un fatal descontento de lugar. NF/NIEVES FERNANDEZ, Madrid. 2023

Tamara Arroyo
Palmera
2017-2023
Iron and enamel
146 x 96 x 36 cm

Tamara Arroyo. La sustancia del ser. El apartamento, Madrid, 2024

Tamara Arroyo
Untitled
2019-23
Enamelled iron, stoneware
97 x 140 x 30 cm

Tamara Arroyo. Un fatal descontento de lugar. NF/NIEVES FERNANDEZ, Madrid. 2023

Tamara Arroyo
Condición urbana
2023
Enamelled iron
85 x 81 x 43 cm

Tamara Arroyo. Pura calle. NF/NIEVES FERNANDEZ. 2019

Tamara Arroyo
Ciclo vital
2023
Iron, enamel, stoneware ceramic
122 x 188 x 22 cm

Tamara Arroyo. Un fatal descontento de lugar. NF/NIEVES FERNANDEZ, Madrid. 2023

Tamara Arroyo
De la misma condición
2023
Enamelled iron and found tiles with enamel and varnish
75 x 95 x 3 cm (window) y 21 x 95 x 4 cm (shelf)

Tamara Arroyo
Haiku
2023
Enamelled iron, tiles, glass
150 x 110 x 3 cm

Tamara Arroyo
Vida comunitaria
2023
Iron, enamel, stoneware
230 x 23 x 23 cm

Tamara Arroyo
Espacio y lugar
2023
Ceramics, oxides, and wax
120 x 30 x 30 cm

“In this debate between ‘Space and Place’, the piece—shaped like a column or totem—responds to the idea of ‘Place’ as space enhanced by experience.
During my residency at Casa Wabi, drawing from my own experience, I sought to capture the essence of the place and created this work inspired by a Toltec column, incorporating a series of ornamental elements from Mexican cultural heritage.

The title of the piece refers to the concept of ‘Place’ and ‘Space’ as something intrinsically connected to the senses and experience.
To construct an image of place, one must imbue it with character or personality. Based on my perception, I focus on specific details and, through my work, seek to convey a ‘sense of place’, emphasizing my relationship with the space—a relationship shaped by mobility.

This bond is mutual: I project affection onto a place, and in turn, the place imparts its qualities onto me—and consequently, into my work.”

—Tamara Arroyo

Tamara Arroyo
Antropología urbana II
2022
Sculpture. Glazed ceramic and packing box
75 x 35 x 35 cm

Tamara Arroyo
Antropología urbana
2021
Glazed ceramic
2 x 25 x 20 cm

Tamara Arroyo. Galería Ana Más. 2021

Tamara Arroyo
Trampantojo
2019
Print on fabric
350 x 560 cm

Starting from a material that is inherently symbolic — brick — the curatorial team at DILALICA invited Tamara Arroyo to explore its interpretative potential for the project POSTCRISIS, which brought together architecture, visual arts, and contemporary thought.

In response, and considering the specificity of the Ni-gredo space — which features a sliding door running along the length of the room — Arroyo created a digitally printed curtain showing various methods of laying bricks, inspired by the façades of houses she encountered during her daily walks.

This everyday observation led to the creation of Tram-pantojo, a work that reflects on the haptic dimension of vision through architectural material. The resulting effect evokes a kind of «trompe-l’œil-trap», reminiscent of the mesh tarps used to cover buildings under renovation, while simultaneously referencing the rhythmic patterns found in the architecture of working-class neighborhoods.

Tamara Arroyo. Galería Ana Más. 2021

Tamara Arroyo. PANORAMAMADRID. CentroCentro, Madrid. 2021

Tamara Arroyo. Mutaciones. Casa Museo Lope de Vega, Madrid, 2024

Tamara Arroyo
De la serie «Un fatal descontento de lugar»
2021
Iron and ceramics
63 x 16 x 16 cm (left)
81 x 16 x 16 cm (right)

Tamara Arroyo
Un fatal descontento de lugar
2021
Inkjet print on Hanemühle 308 gr paper
35 x 20 cm

Tamara Arroyo. PANORAMAMADRID. CentroCentro, Madrid. 2021

Tamara Arroyo. Del tránsito y lo transitorio. Galería Espacio Olvera. 2020

Tamara Arroyo. Aragon Park. Madrid. 2020

Tamara Arroyo. Pura calle. NF/NIEVES FERNANDEZ. 2019

Tamara Arroyo. Pura calle. 2019

Pura calle is Tamara Arroyo’s first exhibition at NF/NIEVES FERNÁNDEZ, bringing together both previously unseen pieces and a selection of works that represent her artistic trajectory over recent years.

This selection engages in dialogue with the different themes the artist explores in her work—rooted in her lived experiences—such as her daily walks through the city, where she encounters residual elements from the processes of «domestication» of the modern inhabitant.

In this sense, the body of work presented questions the mechanisms of consumption related to certain formalizations and objects within contemporary living spaces. It is articulated through some of the artist’s autobiographical references, which ultimately construct a discourse on both individual and collective memory.

The urban locus from which these works emerge serves as a reference point for the artist to observe the architectural processes shaped by social conditions in the construction of space.

Public space, as a privileged site of everyday life, becomes a repository of identity markers and creative potential. Tamara Arroyo, therefore, explores the friction between architecture and the environment in their ability to shape their inhabitants. Through different artistic formalizations, her works evoke these issues, distinguishing between lived, experiential, or existential space—operating unconsciously—and physical, geometric space.

Her work highlights the mental states that emerge from our relationship with our immediate surroundings, such as belonging, integration, and critique. Through this, she seeks to encourage the viewer to develop new sensations, perspectives, and interactions.

Tamara Arroyo
Balcón (Azul)
2019
Enamel on metal and glazed ceramic
56 x 68,5 x 54 cm

Tamara Arroyo
Antropología urbana
2021
Glazed ceramic
10 x 37 x 20 cm

Tamara Arroyo
Socks I
2019
Enamel on iron and glazed ceramic
81,5 x 90 x 10 cm

Tamara Arroyo
Estantería
2019
Glazed ceramic and metal grid
90 x 83 x 10 cm

Tamara Arroyo
Caja de IKEA
2019
Glazed ceramic
3 x 30 x 19 cm

Tamara Arroyo
Genalguacil Moderno
2019
Painted iron
Variable dimensions

Tamara Arroyo
Caja de herramientas
2019
Glazed ceramic
12 x 30 x 22 cm

Tamara Arroyo. Canhoto As Zurdo, NuncaNadieNadaNo, Madrid, 2024

Tamara Arroyo
Rutina, experiencia acumulada
2021
Ceramic. 6 pieces of different sizes

Tamara Arroyo. Pura calle. NF/NIEVES FERNANDEZ. 2019

Tamara Arroyo
Bolsas de Sengal
2019
Glazed ceramic
30 x 27 x 4 cm

Tamara Arroyo
Bolsas de Senegal
2019
Glazed ceramic

Tamara Arroyo
Vallas ornamentales (Verde)
2019
Enamel on metal
75 x 80 x 37 cm

Tamara Arroyo
Vallas ornamentales (Amarilla)
2019
Enamel on metal
75 x 80 x 37 cm

Tamara Arroyo
Vallas ornamentales (Gris)
2019
Enamel on metal
80 x 80 x 37 cm

Tamara Arroyo. Pura calle. NF/NIEVES FERNANDEZ. 2019

Tamara Arroyo
Relaciones
2016
Deconstructed plastic box
75,5 x 80 cm

This intervention by Tamara Arroyo took place at the Ribera Market in Bilbao, where she established a relationship between a common market object and the building’s own architecture. Elements such as stackable plastic crates were repurposed as lattices or stained-glass-like structures, thus reinterpreting the architecture of the market itself.

By using the building’s grid structure, Arroyo created a network of crates that functioned as a kind of architectural screen. The idea behind using this utilitarian element as the core of the intervention was to draw a parallel between the functional aspect of the building—as a space for the exchange of goods—and its decorative elements, particularly its stained-glass windows.

By subverting the original function of the crates and turning them into decorative components, arranged in an endlessly repeating pattern, Arroyo plays with notions of functionality, ornamentation, and modular rhythm within public space.

Tamara Arroyo
Caja de pizza I
2019
Ceramic and collage
8 x 64 x 40 cm

Tamara Arroyo
Mancha de hamburguesa
2019
Ceramic and glazed ceramic
10 x 35 x 35 cm

Tamara Arroyo
Ochentas
2019
Enamel on metal
65 x 65 x 12 cm

Tamara Arroyo. Encuentro con el objeto. Escultura contemporánea. Red Itiner, Madrid, 2024

Tamara Arroyo
Jarrón
2019
Enamel on metal
68 x 30 x 25 cm

Tamara Arroyo
Expositor de helados
2019
Glazed ceramic and metal structure
112 x 46 x 78 cm

Tamara Arroyo
Light on light off
2018
Enamelled iron and flexible neon
300 x 350 cm

Tamara Arroyo
Untitled
2018
Glazed ceramic and iron
165 x 25 x 10 cm

Tamara Arroyo
Balcón (Verde)
2019
Enamel on metal
60 x 58 x 45 cm

Tamara Arroyo. PANORAMAMADRID. CentroCentro, Madrid. 2021

Tamara Arroyo
Año 59 de la Revolución
2017
Enamelled iron structure
223 x 165 x 100 cm

“AÑO 59 DE LA REVOLUCIÓN“ 2017

This project was developed by artist Tamara Arroyo during her residency at ArtistaXArtista in Havana, Cuba.
During her time there, Arroyo was able to witness firsthand the unique and unrepeatable architectural experience of the city of Havana, particularly that of the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA), Cuba’s National Art Schools.

The project took shape as a painted iron sculpture in the form of a flag, accompanied by a video that documents a walk through the ruins of the art school—now partially reclaimed by the jungle that surrounds it. The ISA buildings were inaugurated in 1965 but abandoned shortly after, in 1968, as they conflicted with the prefabricated, utilitarian principles of Soviet functionalist architecture. These stood in stark contrast to the sensual, organic design of the schools, defined by their Catalan brick vaults and a deep integration with the natural landscape.

Tamara Arroyo
Estructuras IV
2017
Matte black paint on iron
Variable dimensions

4.600 € (TVA included)

This piece was created by Tamara Arroyo for the exhibition PRO-MOTORA, curated by Carlos Fernández-Pello at Can Felipa.
The curatorial premise invited a group of artists—who shared a common interest in repetition, pattern, and seriality—to adapt their production processes to the decorative resolution of specific locations within the exhibition space.

The aim was to produce standardized objects that could function both as samplers or formal repertoires of each artist’s practice, and as potential structures for large-scale production and wholesale distribution. In essence, the project proposed a model of collective promotion: a catalogue of site-specific interventions conceived for art institutions.

Tamara Arroyo
Relaciones (I)
2016
Fabric
72 x 65 cm

Relaciones

This series of drawings and sculptures by Tamara Arroyo is composed of various manufactured elements, whose grids and arrangements the artist uses to subvert their original meaning.
Arroyo strips these objects of their function, revealing an interest in the everyday and in their formal qualities, generating a tension between the useful and the beautiful, between objective purposes and those that are purely aesthetic.

Tamara Arroyo
Relaciones (II)
2016
Fabric
65 x 65 cm

Tamara Arroyo
Relaciones (III)
2016
Fabric
100 x 60 cm

Tamara Arroyo
Relaciones
2016
Thirteen pieces of an iron blind painted in gold, bronze, and black
Variable dimensions

Tamara Arroyo
Dibujos de metal
2016
Galvanized iron
96.5 x 69 cm

Tamara Arroyo + Nuno Sousa Vieira. Canhoto As Zurdo. Nadie Nunca Nada No, Madrid. 2024

Tamara Arroyo
Relaciones II
2019
Ceramic and brass
Variable dimensions

Tamara Arroyo
Estructuras II
2016
Bent precision-calibrated iron rods
150 x 25 x 3 cm

Tamara Arroyo
Relaciones
2016
Iron locksmith pieces painted in gold, black, and copper

Tamara Arroyo
Ventanales de lugares de estudio [Windows of Study Spaces]
2015
Wood and acrylic paint
Variable dimensions

This series of works by Tamara Arroyo is inspired by different types of windows found in study spaces she has frequented in recent years. Based on her own personal experience, the project reflects on how our environment and its architecture influence us.
Some of these windows belong to buildings constructed according to the pedagogical principles of the Institución Libre de Enseñanza, which emphasized the importance of workspaces.

The research began in 2014 and continued into 2015 during her residency at Espacio Oculto, taking the form of photographs, drawings, and installations.

Tamara Arroyo
Ventanales de lugares de estudio
2015
Tape on graph paper
100 x 70 cm

Tamara Arroyo
Ventanales de lugares de estudio
2015
Series of 7 drawings made with painted tape on grid paper, 70 × 100 cm each

Tamara Arroyo
Geometrías cotidianas
2015
Crayon on paper
27,9 x 21 cm each

Tamara Arroyo
Casas romanas II
2013
Series of 24 drawings, graphite on graph paper
30 × 42 cm each

«While working on the project Roma 1966–2013, I made several journeys through the city in search of the places my parents had visited. Roman Houses I and II emerged from these wanderings through the city, during which I deviated from the planned route and allowed myself to drift.
Along these paths, I came across houses that strongly captured my attention, despite not knowing who they belonged to.
As an exercise in imagining what the buildings my parents may have visited could have looked like, I created the following drawings.»

—Tamara Arroyo

Tamara Arroyo. Legázpolis. Intermediae, Matadero, Madrid. 2009

Legázpolis, 2009

Legázpolis is the first invited project of the Mundo Legázpi website (www.mundolegazpi.intermediae.es). The title is inspired by the book Zerópolis by Bruce Begout, about Las Vegas, as a metaphorical island in the middle of the desert.

Legázpolis consisted of drawing the map of the Legázpi neighborhood (Madrid) through interventions and routes that could be visited online. The new maps were based on cultural landscapes and aspects of urban life that transformed the geography of the area, blurring boundaries to evoke other times and places.

My project was divided into different levels, each corresponding to different ways of representing the neighborhood map:

I) Silent Map: Starting from the idea of the school «silent map,» as a metaphor for the blank page that must be filled—in this case, the one that must be traveled—and the silent map as an idea of a continent or island. Within this silent map, I carried out three types of activities. The first consisted of taking a walk through the abandoned railway tracks near the Delicias station. For the second activity, I worked with a group of children who became cartographers of their own neighborhood. They marked different routes, places, and interventions on silent maps, which reflected their daily life, movements, and paths within the «borders» of the neighborhood.

II) Political Map: This level referred to the immigrant population that has crossed the map to settle in the Legázpi neighborhood. One of the ways to make this population visible is through their commercial establishments, where place names and toponyms from distant locations are abundant, creating a new reading of the map of the city of Madrid. This level led to the installation «Strip Delicias,» created in one of the Matadero’s warehouses, where I recreated the commercial signs around Pº de las Delicias, as if they were part of the Las Vegas Strip, a street strip with its signs and neon lights, transporting us to distant and exotic places.

Tamara Arroyo
Legázpolis
2009
Installation

Collection of the Museum Centro de Arte Reina Sofía