Among the different approaches to geometric abstraction the Catalan artist Regina Giménez (Barcelona, 1966) has been developing in recent years, her work based on research into textbook illustrations stands out. In particular, the draws from educational publications aimed at explaining scientific concepts to children, such as the formation of planets, the movement of the sun and moon, the creation of mountains, or ocean currents. She typically acquires outdated publications from the 1930s and 1940s in second-hand bookstores or flea markets, drawn to their obsolete imagery and content.

By disrupting the explanatory code of these illustrations—separating images and graphics from their explanatory notes or captions, which make them intelligible—she creates a linguistic deconstruction that strips them of their scientific and educational function, shifting them into the realm of contemporary art. The graphic and written elements, already distinct communicative codes, lose their original meaning and are transformed by the artist into new visual languages. The original sources, whether visual or textual, are decontextualized and altered to provoke new interpretations.

With an established career, Regina Giménez has exhibited consistently in national and international galleries, museums, and art centers, combining solo projects with group exhibitions. Among her solo exhibitions in museums and institutions are: Oh! Be a nice girl, Kiss me, Bòlit - Diàlegs: art, música i patrimoni, Santa Maria de Vilabertran, Girona (2021); Iremos al sol, Museo Patio Herreriano, Valladolid (2020); L'Àlbum de visites, Centro Grau-Garriga d'Art Tèxtil Contemporani, Casa Aymat, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Projecte Obres els dipòsits, curated by Frederic Montornes (2020); El sol i la taula, Can Palauet, M.A.C, Mataró (2018); La Constancia, Programa Composicions, curated by Latitudes, Barcelona Gallery Weekend, Can Trinxet, L'Hospitalet (2016); Architecture d'aujourd'hui, The Green Parrot, Barcelona (2015); Art de foc art de badoc, Nadala, Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona (2015); Símbols Convencionals, Museu d'Art Modern de Tarragona, Tarragona (2012); Fundació Vila Casas – Espai Volart, Barcelona (2005); and Centre Cultural Caixa Terrassa (2003), among others.

Selected group exhibitions include: Mapamundistas, Pabellón de Mixtos de la Ciudadela, Pamplona (2025); Una exposició sentimental, MAC Mataró (2025); Preludi. Intenció Poètica, MACBA, Barcelona (2022); Taula, Espai Muxart, Martorell (2022); Sinapsis. Ciencia y Arte de la España de Ramón y Cajal al siglo XXI, Nobel Prize Museum, Stockholm (2022); Ara Mateix, Festival Loop 2020, curated by Chus Martínez in collaboration with Rosa Lleó, Arts Santa Mònica, Barcelona (2020); Modernitat Amagada, curated by Domènec and Dani Montlleó at Pabelló Sert, Can Palauet, Mataró (2019); El futuro no es lo que va a pasar sino lo que vamos a hacer, curated by Chus Martínez, Rosa Lleó and Elise Lammer, ARCO Madrid (2018); Materia Prima, curated by David Armengol, David G. Torres and Martí Peran, Centre d'Art Contemporani Fabra i Coats, Barcelona (2017), among others.

She has recently published two illustrated books, Geo-gráficos (2022) and Montañas (2024), published by Zahorí Books. 

Her works are part of major collections, including the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid, the Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA), Fundación "la Caixa," Fundación Banc Sabadell, Fundación Vila Casas, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León (MUSAC), Centro Gallego de Arte Contemporáneo (CGAC), and the collection of the Fondation Comprime in Paris. Her works are also held in private collections, including those of Lawrence B. Benenson (New York), Adriana Cisneros (New York and Miami), Grupo Jameston (New York and Atlanta), and Isabel Marant (Paris).

Regina Giménez in her studio, Barcelona, 2024. Image courtesy of the artist.