SARA RAMO
Madrid, Spain, 1975
Received the Fundación Botín Art Grant in 2014

Intratable (Tribute to Ivens Machado), 2019
Column, cement and shards of broken glass bottles
230 × 30 × 30 cm
Acquired in 2020

 Intratable (Tribute to Ivens Machado) may be viewed through the lens of decorative arts—yet doing so provokes an immediate sense of unease. The broken glass that Ramo uses to ornament the top of this classical-style column directly references the widespread practice—common in Brazil and other parts of the world—of embedding shards of glass along the tops of walls to deter intruders.

The title evokes the social tensions the artist has witnessed in Brazil, while also hinting at the internal friction she experiences in reconciling the two cultures in which she was raised.

Note: Ivens Machado was a leading figure in mid-20th-century Brazilian art, whose work has had a conceptual influence on Sara Ramo.