The work of Isidoro Valcárcel Medina (Murcia, 1937) - Winner of the National Prize for Plastic Arts in 2007 - represents an attitude of engagement that is a long way from commercial art, making it difficult to place in usual exhibition contexts and spaces. For the Fisuras programme in the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, he has come up with a series of 'circumstances', actions that emerge from different places around the Museo Reina Sofía throughout the course of the autumn season. In these 'circumstances' Valcárcel Medina conveys his critical stance on the concept of the artistic and the institutionalisation of art, along with irreverence encapsulated in the way he sees conventional forms of meaning.
In Otoño 2009 (Autumn 2009) visitors become the focal point. Diverse channels are used that differ from the normal routes and probe the close interactions between visitors as he provokes, generates interest and unsettles. This open and unapproachable work creates various ephemeral pieces within it, for instance the rug that works as a meeting point for his actions, or the sweets, made available to visitors at the counters. Also the gloinclothsh or the audio guides with their odd viewpoints on some of the pieces from the Collection. Other creations, meanwhile, acquire permanence, such as the artist's book that covers all the rooms of the Collection with the different measurements of space taken up by each piece, or the bookmarks, which can be found in random books selected from the library in the Museo.
Furthermore, besides these different 'circumstances', this dynamic project also includes actions carried out by the artist within a three-month period that cover a commemorative historical exhibition lasting only three days entitled Proyecto para una retrospectiva III Centenario de la exposición en la Annunziata de Florencia (Project for a Retrospective of the III Centenary of the Annunziata Exhibition in Florence). There are also other diverse actions over days and hours marked as 'The Four Buildings' and 'The Stairs' that feature an itinerary as the artist visits the Palacio de Velázquez and the Palacio de Cristal, in the Retiro park, before returning to the Edificio Sabatini. Alongside these actions there is also the Visita a las carboneras (Visit to the Coal Mines), inaccessible places for the general public, or a visit to the exhibition Hecho en casa (Made at Home) on the art work by the employees in the Museo.
