TEA - Tenerife Espacio de las Artes

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Cultural spaces · Subcategory: Museums · Year: 2008 · Authors: Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron, Virgilio Gutiérrez Herreros

TEA - Tenerife Espacio de las Artes is an architectural complex of approximately 20,622 square metres that houses the contemporary museum Instituto Óscar Domínguez, the Centro de Fotografía Isla de Tenerife, and the Biblioteca Municipal de Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

The spectacular building was designed by Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, and directed in construction by Canarian architect Virgilio Gutiérrez. Built on the site where a group of very deteriorated houses once stood in a degraded urban area, the new complex is conceived as a point of connection and meeting between the landscape of the old city and the new one.

Placed parallel to the course of the Barranco de Santos, the building presents itself as an intelligent urban system, where, through a series of interconnected spaces, widely used public places such as the market and the Serrador bridge at the upper part connect with the Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre at the lower part.

The spatial structure of the building plays with and transforms the classical definitions of public and private space, open and closed, adapting the ideas of courtyards, interior streets, and small squares that slope gently downwards until ending in a ramp that finishes next to the ravine. As users move through all these spaces, they pass between the library, the café, and the exhibition rooms, which can be observed through huge windows. In the thick perimeter walls, numerous small openings with pixel-inspired shapes are found; these are the building's ornamentation. Glass, exposed concrete, and the effect of the small openings on its side façades are elements that visually define the entire complex.

It is interesting to see how this work, designed and built between 2001 and 2008 by one of the most renowned architectural studios in the world, has fitted naturally into the city's urban fabric.

The permanent collection currently held by TEA is based on a selection of works by the well-known surrealist painter, native of Tenerife, Óscar Domínguez. This collection has been named: Óscar Domínguez: between myth and dream . It is based on acquisitions made by the artistic space from the Instituto Óscar Domínguez, the Cabildo de Tenerife, and the Centro de Fotografía; many of these have also been obtained through loans agreed with private and public collectors. This collection is divided thematically into three different areas. Furthermore, since the institution's opening on 31 October 2008, TEA has hosted temporary exhibitions by various internationally renowned artists.

The Centro de Fotografía “Isla de Tenerife” has been affiliated with TEA practically since its foundation. Its main objective focuses on the dissemination of photographic culture, the photographic heritage of the island and different countries, and its conservation. During the centre's opening period, numerous exhibitions have been held, highlighting the biennial event “Fotonoviembre”, where various photography exhibitions with different themes can be enjoyed.

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