Cristina Iglesias

QUATRO POÇOS DE ÁGUA NO PARQUE

Lisbon, Portugal

Quatro Poços de Água no Parque (2021) is a permanent public art installation by Cristina Iglesias, located in the Parque Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles in Lisbon, Portugal. The work consists of four sculptural well-like structures made from bronze, stone, and stainless steel, each equipped with integrated hydraulic systems. Two of the wells measure approximately 90 × 150 × 150 cm, while the other two are larger, reaching 50 × 250 × 250 cm.

The installation continues Iglesias’ exploration of subterranean space, a recurring theme in her Pozo series. Timed water cycles allow liquid to flow and recede rhythmically, suggesting a hidden depth that breathes beneath the surface. The wells present a striking contrast between smooth, geometric outer shells and rugged, organic interior landscapes, creating a sensory tension between the natural and the artificial.

The sound of flowing water adds a calming, almost hypnotic layer to the experience, while the fossil-like topographies evoke both contemplation and a subtle unease. As with many of Iglesias’ site-specific interventions, the materials—bronze, stone, and engineered water—are in dialogue with their environment, inviting reflection on time, erosion, and ecological balance.

Cristina Iglesias (b. 1956, San Sebastián) is internationally acclaimed for her immersive, site-responsive sculptures that integrate industrial materials, water systems, and architectural space. Winner of the Spanish National Visual Arts Prize and the Royal Academy Architecture Prize in 2020, Iglesias brings a deep environmental and poetic sensibility to her public works.

Quatro Poços de Água no Parque aligns with the park’s ecological mission to reintroduce natural water basins into the landscape, merging historical form with contemporary sculpture in a meditative and lyrical experience.