Two days in Malaga to catch some sun and blue sky - wonderful - managed to see some interesting work in galleries and museums in between soaking up the sun in outdoor restaurants and bars. The Centre Pompidou Málaga was excellent - 2 large exhibitions - Place-ness - artists examining the role of place in their practice. Organised in thoughtful chapters with much to read and think about in terms of concepts around public space and who owns it. Standout pieces include work by Studio 5.5, Ian Hamilton Finlay and Micea Cantor. The other show, an overview of Carlos Raul Villanueva's plans for working with artists were explored and presented superbly - the work of Jesus-Raphael Soto was awesome, with many of my current concerns engaged with and I spent a good 10 minutes with one piece - Black and white egg by Andre Bloc trying to work out how and what in terms of it's making, a masterful piece of modernism. Museo Carmen Thyssen is a glorious space, a restored moorish palace, and tremendous bookshop. Naked, the main show of nudes was good, full of excellent craftsmanship but the collection itself is fairly mad, with some great Old Master Romantic Portraits and landscapes in the 'Spanish' style. Málaga museum has loads to offer, giving a full history lesson of the place, also well displayed odd stuff. But mainly sitting, eating and drinking outside in the sun and warmth, often till 12 at night was most excellent.
