Central to the series 'Vida Tus Espinas' (Thorns of Life) are human relations and their effects on the personality. Irene Torrebiarte (Guatemala, b. 1970) shows in symbolic ways how people subconsciously continue to protect themselves when they begin a new relationship.

The series 'La Tarea' consists of leaves from a school notebook. The petals of flowers are counted off onto the text 'He loves me, he loves me not', while the heart of the flower changes into the barrel of a pistol.