La Sirena varada, Abstract sculpture in Paseo de la Castellana, Madrid, Spain
La Sirena varada is an abstract concrete sculpture on Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid, made up of curved and angular forms that rise from the ground in a single composition. The work is placed at street level, fully visible from the sidewalk, and its solid concrete mass changes in appearance depending on the angle from which it is seen.
Eduardo Chillida made this work in 1972, as Madrid was actively placing contemporary sculptures along Paseo de la Castellana to bring art into everyday public space. The avenue became during those years a kind of open-air setting for Spanish sculptors working in concrete and steel.
The title translates as "the beached mermaid," giving the work a poetic quality that many passersby pick up on intuitively. The curved forms suggest a body caught mid-motion, frozen at the moment of arrival.
The sculpture stands outdoors on Paseo de la Castellana and is freely accessible at any time of day. Walking around it from different sides is worth doing, as the forms read very differently depending on where you stand.
Chillida was primarily known for working with iron and steel, making his choice of concrete for this piece somewhat unusual within his body of work. The material gives the sculpture a heavier, more grounded feel than many of his other pieces.
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