MUNA Opens 'Hortus Hesperidum' Exhibition Blending Canary Islands Culture and Mythology
The Museum of Nature and Archaeology in Tenerife has launched Hortus Hesperidum, an immersive, multidisciplinary exhibition by artist Manolo Yanes that reinterprets Greco-Latin mythology through the lens of Canary Islands culture and geography.
The Museum of Nature and Archaeology (MUNA) in Santa Cruz de Tenerife has opened a new exhibition, Hortus Hesperidum. The project, which artist Manolo Yanes has been developing for three years, blends classical tradition with the modern reality of the Canary Islands. Rather than a traditional art show, it functions as a creative ecosystem where many different disciplines meet.
The exhibition is a collaborative effort featuring 19 different creators who have added their own perspectives to Yanes’s work. Through sculpture, literature, film, and sound, the artists reinterpret the Greco-Latin myth of the Garden of the Hesperides, grounding it in the unique culture and geography of the Canary Islands. The work of historical figures like painter Néstor Martín-Fernández de la Torre and poet Tomás Morales serves as a foundation, linking 20th-century avant-garde art with contemporary pieces.
The Tenerife Island Council designed this exhibition to show that MUNA can host more than just static displays. Visitors can enjoy an immersive experience that includes an original musical score by Benito Cabrera and audiovisual work by Luis Sánchez Gijón. Additionally, a section called Hortus naturalis provides scientific context, detailing the local plant species that inspired the artwork.
Hortus Hesperidum is open to the public until July 17 and is included with general museum admission. Through this project, the Island Council hopes to demonstrate that science and art can work together to explore the history and identity of the region.