Juan Muñoz. Double Bind at PLANTA. Fundació Sorigué.

Contemporary art and installation photography by Daniel Schäfer documenting Double Bind, the monumental work by Spanish artist Juan Muñoz, presented at PLANTA, Fundació Sorigué in Lleida, Spain.

Originally conceived in 2001 for the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern in London and curated by James Lingwood, Double Bind was Muñoz’s final major work. Bringing together sculpture, architecture, light and theatrical illusion, the installation challenges the viewer’s understanding of space, perspective and the boundaries between what can be seen and what remains concealed.

Presented in Spain for the first time at PLANTA, the work occupies an industrial environment of extraordinary scale. Its architectural construction unfolds across multiple levels, creating a complex landscape of platforms, openings, passages and voids. Within this structure, sculptural figures appear in unexpected locations, sometimes visible only from particular viewpoints, suggesting the presence of lives and narratives that remain beyond the viewer’s reach.

The installation establishes a subtle tension between presence and absence. Figures inhabit spaces that seem both familiar and inaccessible, while the architectural structure continuously alters the relationship between the observer and the observed. Light and shadow reveal certain elements while concealing others, transforming the act of looking into an experience of uncertainty and discovery.

At PLANTA, the encounter between Muñoz’s installation and the surrounding industrial architecture introduces another layer of meaning. The monumental scale of the building becomes inseparable from the work, reinforcing its exploration of verticality, distance and the relationship between the human figure and the spaces it inhabits.

Photographed by Daniel Schäfer for AD España, the editorial series moves between architectural perspectives, sculptural details and atmospheric compositions. The photographs explore the spatial complexity of Double Bind, revealing how changes in viewpoint, light and scale shape the perception of the installation.

The photographic documentation by Daniel Schäfer Studio preserves the encounter between artwork and architecture, offering a visual interpretation of one of Juan Muñoz’s most significant installations and the extraordinary environment in which it was presented.