The artist Anna Malagrida presents a video installation that starts from the traces that man has perpetuated in the landscape of volcanic area of La Garrotxa.
“The Devil’s Stone, 2022″ focuses on the popular imagination that is created around these footprints and their perception.
The proposal is part of the Natura Viva project and is curated by Carolina Grau. Ten artists from ten Catalan cities have been invited to explore the local geography and reveal to us, once again, how to feel and learn from our nature.
The objective is to raise awareness and reflect on the evolution of our footprint and its impact on the biosphere. The result of the ten artistic projects can be seen simultaneously in the ten cities during the fall of 2022.
Barcelona Symposium: Talking Galleries’ flagship meeting
The Barcelona Symposium, at the heart of Talking Galleries’ work, is a two-day conference of debates, cogent conversations, and fruitful networking all around art galleries.
It is a unique opportunity for prominent art world figures to discuss and reflect on various aspects of art gallery management. It attracts a diverse audience, made up of gallerists, collectors, art journalists, curators, artists, and fair directors, who are engaged in the discussion and contribute to the exchange of expertise and relevant knowledge across all sectors of the art business.
Held annually in the Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona (MACBA), each edition of the event has brought together over 200 professionals from about 25 countries all around the world.
Since 1993, the Italian Massimo Vitali stands on a platform several meters high, and with a large camera he photographs beaches, nightclubs, ski resorts, supermarkets, swimming pools and other busy leisure areas.
The work of this contemporary photographer embodies the essence of leisure activity in the summer season.
But there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to this author’s idyllic seascapes. Vitali responded to the political turmoil in Italy in the 1940s, launching his beach series in the mid-1990s as a political commentary on mass tourism and social complacency. While Vitali’s photographs seem to depict the paradisiacal appearance from each place he captures, his work actually focuses on the individuals who appear in the composition and their collective response to society.
Using the beach as a platform for social research, Vitali sought to photograph bathers in their most vulnerable state in order to document society in its most authentic state Most of the artist’s work captures tourist destinations in Italy as it retains the idea that taking quality photos does not necessarily require traveling outside of your local community. Some of the famous places immortalized in Vitali’s work include Spargi Cala Corsara Cala Mariolu Porto Miggiano and Cefalù Viareggio however Vitali has since it has expanded beyond the borders of Italy to vacation spots in Brazil, Greece, Turkey and Spain.
Massimo Vitali, by Wallpaper*
Since the start of his iconic beach series, Vitali has continued to explore the natural environment, but instead focused on the impact of human disturbance on nature In contrast to his coastal scenes, Vitali focuses less on the pleasure and leisure of people and, instead, in the complex relationship between humans and their impact on the environment his most recent series entitled Disturbed Coastal Systems (April 2017) reveals an implicit message of the tension built between the man and nature.
Dates
08.09.2022- 02.10.2022
Organizer Government of Cantabria. General Directorate of Culture and PHotoESPAÑA
Headquarters
Central Library of CantabriaC/ Ruiz de Alda, 19, 39009 Santander
It has been confirmed that Do Espirito Santo will be making a large wall painting (a version of ‘En Passant‘) at the exhibition of Contemporary Latin American Art that has the Cisneros collection as a starting point. Open on April 30th, 2023.
“The letter seems to me a beautiful metaphor of society: a single letter is nothing; but together with others it can form words, concepts; this is the power of community.” – Jaume Plensa
The Gran Teatre del Liceu opened the 2022-2023 season yesterday, Monday, with the new doors, or ‘Constellations’, the work of sculptor Jaume Plensa, highlighting the celebration of the 175th anniversary of the historic Barcelona institution.
The artist Jaume Plensa next to Salvador Alemany, president of the Fundació del Gran Teatre del Liceu
The doors (stainless steel, 4 x 4 m) are inspired by two classics of Catalan culture: the architect Antoni Gaudí, and the painter Joan Miró, with his nearby Pla de la Boquería mosaic, in addition to the close relationship with the name of one of his most original series ‘Constel·lacions (1939)’.
“I think this dialogue between the past and the future gives us the key to the present: the contemporary gesture at the heart of society, embracing music with words and voice with writing.” The artist said yesterday at the opening ceremony at Las Ramblas.
Plensa intends to vindicate the diversity of the promenade with letters from nine alphabets engraved on the railings – intermingling Arabic, Latin or Chinese – that will reflect their moving shadows on the floor of the entrance, when the doors reach the light of the lamps of the portal.
During the presentation of the doors, the Minister of Culture, Natàlia Garriga, also expressed the importance of this work for the city: “I want to thank all the members of the Board of Trustees who accepted it so quickly, that they see so lucidly that this proposal would be key for the Liceu, but also for the Ramblas, Barcelona and Catalonia.” And she has added that “having art available to everyone makes it possible for citizens to know and value it. I am sure that these doors will awaken the love for art in many pedestrians, and in the spectators who pass through them to enjoy the opera in this important facility.”
For his part, the Deputy Mayor for Culture, Education, Science and Community of the Barcelona City Council, Jordi Martí, has emphasized above all the commitment of the Liceu to “link to contemporary artists of the city and to do it in a total and determined way, not just with a small gesture. Today we are opening three doors, but we will also be able to see Macbeth with the stage direction of Jaume Plensa.” Martí has insisted that the doors “improve the artistic environment of the Ramblas” and wanted to thank the artist for his “humble and restrained gesture because Constelaciones are integrated into the landscape and do not become an isolated work of art.”
After the institutional parliaments, the act has continued with the first official opening of the doors while the Coro del Gran Teatre del Liceu performed the Wagnerian piece Freudig begrüß en wir die edle Halle (Tannhäuser, act II) on the Rambla, directed by the director of the Choir, Pablo Assante, and accompanied on piano by David-Huy Nguyen-Phung. A piece from the second act of the Tannhäuser that celebrates the entrance of the guests and that wants to be a symbolic and metaphorical gesture of doors that invite the public to enter and enjoy the universal language that is music.
“The alphabet represents a harmony that celebrates the great diversity of the world,” said Plensa. The president of the fundación del Liceo, Salvador Alemany, has stated that the sculptor’s work is “a gift that gives prestige to the Rambla and the Liceo”.
No es la primera vez que el escultor dispone de una obra cerca de un núcleo cultural de la ciudad condal. Carmela, un rostro de cuatro metros, mitad niña y mitad adolescente, preside la fachada del Palau de la Música. El artista, Premio Nacional de Artes Plásticas 2012, ha proyectado sus conocidos rostros en otras capitales como Madrid, (Julia) o New York (El alma del agua).
Plensa will maintain his relationship with the Liceo in the new season as the person in charge of the scenery of the Macbeth of Verdi, que se estrenará el próximo febrero.
Technical and operating elements
As for the technical details, these doors weigh around 500 kilograms each and migrate on a single axis that is embedded at the start of the arch just above the capital; of the pilasters. The convexity of the doors does not exceed the outer plane of the pilasters and means that the minimum passage below the open sheepfold is about 3 m high. One of the characteristics of the structure is that the doors do not open laterally, but have an opening movement from bottom to top. In this way, in addition to physical sculpture, we also seek a set of dialogues with spaces, reflections and optical visions of light and shadow. Thus, all those who walk the ground of the Rambla will be able to walk on this carpet of shadows of the installation itself. The work is integrated without affecting any other past element incorporated prior to the facade of Oriol Mestres from 1874 and recovered in 2019.
“The letter seems to me a beautiful metaphor for society: a single letter is nothing; but together with others it can form words, concepts; this is the power of the community.” – Jaume Plensa
The Gran Teatre del Liceu inaugurated its 2022-2023 season on Monday with the new doors, or “Constel·lacions“, the work of sculptor Jaume Plensa, enhancing the celebration of the 175th anniversary of the historic Barcelona institution.
The artist Jaume Plensa together with Salvador Alemany, president of the Fundació del Gran Teatre del Liceu
The doors (stainless steel, 4 x 4 m) are inspired by two classics of Catalan culture: the architect Antoni Gaudí, and the painter Joan Miró, with his nearby Pla de la Boqueria mosaic, as well as the close relationship with the name of one of his most original series “Constel·lacions (1939)”.
“This dialogue between the past and the future I think gives us the key to the present: the contemporary gesture in the heart of society, embracing music with the word and the voice with writing“, said the artist yesterday at the opening ceremony in Las Ramblas.
Plensa intends to vindicate the diversity of the promenade with letters of nine alphabets engraved on the railings – intermingling Arabic, Latin or Chinese – that will reflect their moving shadows on the floor of the entrance, when the doors reach the light of the lamps of the portal.
During the presentation of the doors, the Councilor for Culture, Natàlia Garriga, also expressed the importance of this work for the city: “I want to thank all the members of the Board of Trustees for accepting it so quickly, for seeing with such lucidity that this proposal would be key for the Liceu, but also for the Ramblas, Barcelona and Catalonia“. And she added that “having art within everyone’s reach means that the public can get to know and appreciate it. I am sure that these doors will awaken the love of art in many pedestrians, and in the spectators who pass through them to enjoy the opera in this important facility“.
For his part, the Deputy Mayor for Culture, Education, Science and Community of the Barcelona City Council, Jordi Martí, has emphasized above all the Liceu‘s commitment to “link with contemporary artists of the city and to do so in a total and decisive way, not just with a small gesture. Today we are opening three doors, but we will also be able to see Macbeth with stage direction by Jaume Plensa“. Martí insisted that the doors “improve the artistic environment of Las Ramblas” and thanked the artist for his “humble gesture and restraint because Constellations are integrated into the landscape and do not become an isolated work of art“.
The opening of the doors was also attended by Joan Francesc Marco, director general of the Instituto Nacional de las Artes Escénicas y la Música (INAEM) of the Ministry of Culture, who wanted to highlight the importance of this day: “As a lycee and as director general of INAEM I feel a great happiness because this work of the renowned Jaume Plensa adds even more value to the theater and the city of Barcelona“.
After the institutional speeches, the event continued with the first official opening of the doors while the Choir of the Gran Teatre del Liceu performed in Las Ramblas the Wagnerian piece “Freudig begrüß en wir die edle Halle” (Tannhäuser, act II), conducted by the choir director, Pablo Assante, and accompanied on the piano by David-Huy Nguyen-Phung. A piece from the second act of Tannhäuser that celebrates the entrance of the guests and that wants to be a symbolic and metaphorical gesture of doors that invite the public to enter and enjoy the universal language that is music.
“The alphabet represents a harmony that celebrates the great diversity of the world“, said Plensa. The president of the Liceu Foundation, Salvador Alemany, said that the sculptor’s work is “a gift that gives prestige to the Rambla and the Liceu“.
It is not the first time that the sculptor has a work near a cultural center of the city. Carmela, a four-meter face, half girl and half teenager, presides over the facade of the Palau de la Música. The artist, winner of the 2012 National Plastic Arts Award, has projected his well-known faces in other capitals such as Madrid (“Julia“) or New York (“El alma del agua“).
Plensa will maintain his relationship with the Liceu in the new season as the person in charge of the scenography of Verdi’s Macbeth, which will be premiered next February.
Technical and operating elements
As for the technical details, these doors weigh about 500 kilograms each and migrate on a single shaft that is embedded in the start of the arch just above the capital of the pilasters. The convexity of the doors does not exceed the outer plane of the pilasters and makes the minimum passage under the open sheepfold about 3 m high. One of the characteristics of the structure is that the doors do not open laterally, but have a bottom-up opening movement. In this way, in addition to the physical sculpture, a game of dialogues with spaces, reflections and optical visions of light and shadow is also sought. Thus, all those who step on the floor of the Rambles will be able to walk on this carpet of shadows of the installation itself. The work is integrated without affecting any other past element previously incorporated into the facade of Oriol Mestres of 1874 and recovered in 2019.
We are saddened to announce the death of the Ibizan artist of German origin Erwin Bechtold, at the age of 97, whom we visited this summer in Ibiza.
An artist much admired and loved by Galeria SENDA. A strong friendship of more than 40 years with our co-director Chus Roig that will not be forgotten.
Erwin Bechtold with Cristina, his wife, and Nilo Casarestalking with Carlos Durán, director and founder of Galería SENDA.
Much to our regret, we bid farewell to a great reference in avant-garde painting in Ibiza. Erwin discovered the island in 1954 when, after obtaining a master typesetter and printer diploma in his city, he began to hold his first exhibitions after his stays in Paris and Barcelona, where he had met the members of the group Dau al Set and those from Madrid El Paso.
He settled in Ibiza in 1958, where he found his place in the world and decided to build a studio forever, from where he created all the works that have filled collections and museums around the world, including of course the Museu d’Art Contemporani d’Eivissa who decided to dedicate one of his last exhibitions to him in 2017 and 2018.
Warehouse of works by Erwin Bechtold, on the right: Elena Ruiz, director of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Ibiza.
Our visit to his studio this summer was a long-awaited appointment that could be made with the company of Elena Ruiz, who manipulated the stars so that this conjunction was possible. Thanks, Elena! It was a very interesting meeting in which we were able to see his work and talk about a new project in Barcelona that we recently revealed on social media:
It was our idea to exhibit his work at Senda – in mid-November – with a selection of works that will surely surprise more than one. Especially excited to be able to see “MONISERIE” installed, from 1979, the polyptych in which he pays homage to Jose Luís Sert and Joan Miró and which is, without a doubt, a seminal work in his career.
Erwin Bechtold talking to Carlos Durán inside his studio in Ibiza.
“With his loss, the international cultural scene loses one of its referents. Bechtold maintained a long artistic life until recently and can be considered one of the referents of the plastic arts in Europe and, particularly , in the area of the Balearic Islands. From its beginnings in the 40s until now, it has always shown a personality and a curiosity that deeply marked its work and made it worthy of multiple recognitions“, they point out in the note from the City Council, among these is the Gold Medal of the Consell de Ibiza, which was awarded to him in 2020 and the Illes Pitiüses Award from Diario de Ibiza, in 2005.
“For years, Erwin Bechtold set up his studio and residence in the town of Sant Carles and showed his involvement with his neighbors, in general, and with culture in particular, collaborating in the production of catalogs and other elements to publicize the Music Festival and International Piano Competition of the population“, adds the City Council.
The artist together with Elena Ruiz, director of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Ibiza
& Nilo Casares,member of the Committee of experts of the MACE.
Anyone passing through Borges de Medeiros Avenue, in the Historic Center of Porto Alegre, should be curious about the bands of orange colors that connect between the buildings.
This is the work “Batimento”, by Túlio Pinto, which is participating in the 13th edition of the Bienal do Mercosul.
In this edition of the Bienal do Mercosul, the artist reflect on collective experiences. With free access, the exhibitions – which focus on the theme Trauma, Dream and Escape – aim to provide immersive essays through the senses and perception of visitors.
The event is signed by the general curator, Marcello Dantas, and the assistant curators Tarsila Riso, Laura Cattani, Munir Klamt and Carollina Lauriano.
It is a project that uses the city as a support to carry out a great pictorial graphic intervention through the use of an industrial material that is the canvas used for the facades of buildings under construction or restoration.
The orange color of the vectors intends to generate a pictorial touch with the blue color of the sky. This is due to the complementary relationship of colors.
