Currently, in the art world, one of the names that resonates most is that of the famous artist Jaume Plensa. After a long career full of successes in various artistic fields, Plensa has become an example of a multidisciplinary artist, having left his personal mark in many of the existing artistic disciplines. From his enormous sculptural productions to his symbolic paintings, and even the arduous task of setting the stage for an opera at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, we can see that Jaume Plensa has dared all kinds of artistic adventures that have made him the international artist that we all know.
His artistic narrative
His work made an impact on the other side of the pond thanks to his interactive video sculpture «Crown Fountain», located in Chicago’s Millennium Park. This production managed to catapult his international fame, a clear example being the large number of Plensa‘s works housed in institutions and countries around the world such as «Endless» at the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art (USA), «Wonderland» in Calgary (Canada) or «Nomade» in Antibes (France). His sculptures and public art installations, for which he is mostly known, always invite to silent contemplation, to connect with spirituality, with the body and with the collective memory. His pieces incite deep reflection and establish a necessary dialogue between the individual and his critical spirit, in order to make visible social issues such as the violation of human rights, oppression, inequalities or injustices.
To convey all this narrative based on awareness, a common point that connects all his projects is the monumentality that surrounds all his works. Not only when talking about their dimensions, but rather when trying to understand the reason for this grandeur that makes us feel part of the social struggle. His faces with closed eyes, his sculptures of pensive bodies or his installations composed with letters of various alphabets, are the proof of a humanity that must activate the five senses, meditate on the context that surrounds it and dissolve borders to unite in the same language: that of harmony and peace.
From Galeria SENDA we want to give a warm applause to this Catalan artist who has managed to break boundaries and expose an art designed to be shown to the world. So that his works continue to impact the lives of many people and urban scenarios in all countries of the world. So that the narratives of his projects and the impact they have on our society continue to be awarded.
Mostly black lines of captivating geometry snake or swirl, some even in several strands, across the monochrome image grounds of the photographs — making one think of abstract drawings or paintings. The almost artificial perfection of the minimalist formations, however, gives the impression that they are mathematically generated. Yet the enigmatic structures show flight figures of birds recorded in the old method of chronophotography and modern computer technology. The Barcelona-born artist Xavi Bou has decontextualized them in the sense that they unfold on a cloudless sky, which he has transformed into a canvas through appropriate digital processing. According to the photographer, his fascination with birds and their movement is rooted in his childhood. Growing up in El Prat de Llobregat on the southern outskirts of Barcelona, allowed him to take countless walks in nature with his bird-loving grandfather. His great interest in nature remained with him even after his studies in geography and photography and during his stage working in the fashion photography sector. Soon after his debut in 2015, the artist received praise from numerous publications in daily newspapers or magazines of different orientations worldwide.
From an art-historical point of view, such a concentration on non-figurative representations began in Germany in the 1950s with “subjective photography”; it brings to mind its inventor Otto Steinert, who depicted reality without narrating, documented in a reportage-like manner and placed ornamentation as an external phenomenon in the picture. Incidentally, a similar case was that of the Catalan photographer Marcel Giró, who emigrated to Brazil. Xavi Bou is familiar with Eadweard Muybridge’s purely scientific chronophotography, which somehow is related to his ornithographic approach.
Meanwhile, Xavi Bou has given shape to the movements of numerous bird species in his ornithographic works, as well as exploring the medium of photography to visualize and archive these flowing and fluctuating energies. This, in the whole series and in concept, is quite like the photo archive of international utility buildings by the artist couple Hilla and Bernd Becher, which is more poststructuralist-conservationist than system-critical. Similarly, Bou strives to ensure that the beauty of the abstract formations he puts into the picture always allows for open reading. In other words: only a few of the lines drawn by birds with their flight figures, as well as the tangle of lines of entire flocks of birds, reveal their creators. This is true of the goldfinches appearing in the picture amidst the swirls of ochre lines —becoming the artist’s least appreciated photographic works precisely because of its clear legibility. Xavi Bou sees himself as a “curator” who tracks down the choreography of birds and makes it visible.” Very rarely, therefore, landscapes or cloud formations in the sky remain visible on the monochrome image backgrounds at the bottom of the picture and may hardly contribute to deciphering the actual image subject without relevant background knowledge.
The amazing geometry, precision, and complexity of the birds’ flight figures have been occupying the 43-year-old artist for around ten years now, and many of the cooperation partners for his artistic work are recruited from the bird world, or rather tracked down. Sparrows, swallows, swifts, seagulls, starlings, but also flamingos or eagles as well as other birds of prey… He finds them not only in the wild – very often nearby or even in places like Gibraltar or Iceland – but surprisingly also in the Gracia quarter in the heart of Barcelona. There, he simply climbs onto the roof of his apartment to immortalize, as he says, the amazingly still diverse birdlife with his camera.
This short film has emerged from Xavi Bou’s artistic residence with the UCLouvain university in Belgium within the Reveal Flight project.
In his videos, the artist records the collective development of bird flight lines, an entire bird migration, while he underlays the sequences with original sound or music composed by one of the artist’s friends. In the future, Bou plans to expand his archival practice with a new series of photographs — through sculptural abstractions, by using footage of insects in motion, and then digitally manipulating them to appear both three-dimensional and in the natural coloring of the animals.
For the 40th edition of Art Brussels, we have been selected for the “REDISCOVERY” section by the Art Brussels Committee, composed of Belgian and international gallerists. On this occasion, we bring back the unclassifiable Zush/Evru, to whom we dedicate the exhibition “Back to being” (2020) after eight years of absence by the artist. The “REDISCOVERY” section is dedicated to underrated, undervalued or forgotten artists of the 20th century, living or deceased. It aims to explore and highlight surprising, unknown and original practices that have not yet entered the mainstream of art history.
The human condition through dreams seen by three generations of artists
It is a pleasure to participate again in Art Brussels, as it presents a strong, international program and a unique mix of established artists and emerging talents that align with our vision. In addition to the “REDISCOVERY” section, the galleries have been divided into three more sections: PRIME, DISCOVERY, INVITED and the SOLO subsection of the fair.
In addition to having a special section to put the focus back on the work of Zush/Evru, we added Sandra Vásquez de la Horra and Gonzalo Guzmán, thus creating a dialogue between three artists of three different generations who address realities of the human condition that are not obvious. Very personal visions of the subconscious. Their own experiences serve as an engine to create unique and personal dream worlds that open spaces for reflection.
The personal aesthetic universe of the Barcelona-born artist who, under different names – Albert Porta, Zush and now Evru – has been the protagonist since the sixties of an itinerary that takes us through the most innovative expressive supports. His fluid work is rooted in his even more fluid persona, which has given rise to the Evrugian Mental State, a self-sufficient imaginary world in which he often resides to reflect on concepts such as identity, otherness and the state of being. His artworks act as tangible mediators between the audience and the dreams, emotions, creatures and beings that reside in his dream world. His work blurs the planes of dream and reality with an expression close to surrealism.
As a complement to Zush/Evru, Sandra Vásquez de la Horra (Viña del Mar, Chile, 1967) proceeds to work on the plane of her imagination. Her characteristic wax drawings, which could be seen in the exhibition “Meridians” (2018) and “Aura” (2022), evoke a dreamlike state of emotion and fantasy, where her internal expression deals with subversive themes of religion, sex, mythology, death and personal experiences.
Both Vasquez de la Horra and Zush share an interest in the dreamlike and the surreal, but approach these subjects from different perspectives. While Vasquez de la Horra focuses on exploring the deeper aspects of the human unconscious and deconstructing cultural taboos, Zush immerses himself in creating his own alternative worlds. However, both artists share an innate ability to capture the essence of the unreal and the fantastic in their works, inviting the viewer to reflect on the nature of reality and imagination. Like Zush/Evru, Vasquez de la Horra‘s work is rooted in the desire to embody and understand the intangible inner state.
Sandra Vásquez de la Horra. “Aura”‘s exhibition view
Finally, to link the dialogue, we contrast the work of these established artists with one of our latest additions to the gallery, which we exhibited during Art Nou 2023 with the exhibition “Collision“.
Trained as an industrial designer, Gonzalo Guzmán (Madrid, 1991) began to dedicate himself to sculpture in the wake of the pandemic. During that time of chaos and uncertainty, he experienced “lucid dreams” in which he was aware of living his own dream and could control its development. In these dreams, dolmen-like figures repeatedly appeared to him and served as inspiration. The shaping of these forms in sculptures is a way of research to transfer them to reality. That is to say, the fact of materializing them makes it possible for Guzmán to interact with them on the real plane and at the same time for other people to do so.
To intertwine Gonzalo Guzmán‘s work with that of Zush/Evru, we can highlight how both artists explore the intersection between the tangible world and the world of dreams. Both challenge the conventional perception of reality and lead us to reflect on the limits of imagination and artistic materialization. While Zush/Evru shows us the landscapes of our dreams, Guzmán offers us the opportunity to touch those ephemeral forms and bring them into the physical world.
Gonzalo Guzmán. Dolmen_04 (2022)
190 x 270 x 100 cm
See you at Art Brussels!
For all these reasons, we are pleased to announce our twenty-first participation in the 40th edition of Art Brussels. This prestigious fair is one of the most recognized in Europe and an event marked in our calendar. With a wide variety of proposals, it represents the cultural and artistic richness of the European scene that attracts many collectors, curators, galleries, art professionals from all over the world. This year, the fair will take place at the Brussels Expo, in Halls 5 and 6, and you can find us at stand 5A-22.
For this last edition of ARCO Madrid, we were especially excited to present the artist from the gallery Peter Halley as a special guest in our Artist Project space, with a solo show that connects his past stages with his most recent work. In this exhibition, ARCO visitors were able to analyze in detail the artist’s most emblematic piece, which we will talk about in depth in this blog: «Exploding Cell» (1983).
The first steps towards digital art
Firstly, it is essential to know that «Exploding Cell» is the artist’s only moving image work. In fact, Halley‘s skill in creating this animated work has made him a pioneer of digital art at a time when it was unthinkable to consider any other type of art than manual. Let’s remember that the first PCs, as we know them today, were born in the 1980s. Therefore, Halley demonstrates with his ingenuity and his revolutionary artistic proposal for that decade, characterized by being premature in the technological field, that the horizons of art are inscrutable.
«Exploding Cell» in the Artist Project space at ARCO Madrid
What does «Exploding Cell» represent?
«Exploding Cell» shows, in a two-minute animation, a horizon of cells lined up from left to right. Below these appear a black duct illuminated by a glowing gas that escapes through a chimney before the cell turns red and explodes, leaving a considerable amount of ash that flickers with a stroboscopic effect. Aware of the social context of the time, this work has been enshrined as an allegory for the threat of nuclear destruction caused by the greatest geopolitical conflict of that era: the Cold War.
“The idea had something to do with Cold War politics and the threat of nuclear destruction. Initially, the exploding cell had to do with the end of civilization. But the exploding cell narrative quickly became part of my work. As time went on, the narrative became less and less important to me, and eventually I began to focus solely on the icon of the explosion. The more I think about it, the more I become convinced that the explosion is also a central image of our culture. It goes back a hundred years to the beginning of modern warfare and terrorism. I have used the image of the explosion over and over again in my digital wall prints, in contrast to the cells and prisons that appear in my paintings.”
Considering the story behind this animation, the cells seen in «Exploding Cell», as the artist explains, represent confinement, but also allude to order, a classical order that does not change. On the other hand, the explosion that gives its name to the title of the work is synonymous with change and refers to a transformation between a harmonious state and an altered one. This juxtaposition of concepts presents two opposing attitudes, confronting each other in order to win. The dichotomy between order and change is the contrast that Peter Halley wanted to reflect in this digital artwork in order to show in a simpler way the horrors that a strategic war like the Cold War plunged both East and West.
An award-winning work
Such is the prestige of this work that during this edition of ARCO Madrid, «Exploding Cell» has been recognized with the ARCO/Beep Award for electronic art. This award aims to promote research, production and exhibition of art linked to new digital technologies or electronic art as such. The ARCO/Beep Award has already generated a collection of more than 120 works by 86 different artists, becoming an initiative that is an international reference.
XIX ARCO/Beep Award of Electronic art
If you want to know more about «Exploding Cell» you can download below the dossier about the work, or you can contact us and ask for more information about it.
ARCO Madrid is an obligatory annual event that we have been attending for more than 30 years, but this year we were not satisfied with doing things the same way as always. In this edition, we opted for a new way of participating that was more sustainable, and we assumed our responsibility towards the environment.
Waste reduction
One of the most significant challenges we face as exhibitors at fairs is the transportation and packaging of artwork. Not only is this process crucial to ensure the safety of the pieces, but it can also generate a lot of waste, especially plastics.
This year, we set out to address this challenge differently, with a focus on sustainability and waste reduction. One of the first steps we took was to replace traditional plastic packaging with recycled cardboard boxes and blankets. Previously, paintings and sculptures used to be wrapped in bubble wrap for protection during transport. However, this year, we made a cardboard box specifically for each of the paintings and carefully packed the sculptures with blankets. This simple choice allowed us to significantly reduce our plastic footprint and still ensure the safety of the works. In addition, by using recycled cardboard, we are supporting the circular economy and encouraging more sustainable practices throughout our supply chain.
Reusing resources: the second life of carpeting
In addition, we had the opportunity to reuse the carpet that covered part of the fair. This carpet, which would otherwise have been discarded at the end of the event, was a valuable source of material for us. Thanks to the collaboration with the ARCO organization, they allowed us to take this carpet and give it a second life. Now, this recycled carpet is being used to wrap our sculptures during transport. Its soft, cushioned texture provides excellent protection for the artworks, ensuring that they arrive at their destination in perfect condition.
Committed to a sustainable future in the art world
The art world faces significant challenges in terms of sustainability. From the intensive use of resources in the production of artworks to the generation of waste during packaging and transportation, many practices in the industry are not environmentally friendly. In addition, the organization of exhibitions and art events can have a significant impact in terms of energy consumption and waste generation. However, as awareness of the importance of sustainability grows, so does the number of individuals and organizations within the art world that are committed to more environmentally friendly practices. With measures such as the reuse of materials and the adoption of renewable energy, efforts are being made to make the art world more sustainable.
We understand that every small action counts when it comes to protecting our planet, and we are committed to doing our part as members of the artistic community. By taking concrete steps to reduce our environmental impact and promote more sustainable practices, we are taking a step in the right direction towards a greener and more prosperous future.
In short, our experience at ARCO this year was not only about exhibiting art, but also about doing so in a way that respects and protects the environment. We are proud to have taken significant steps toward more sustainable packaging, and we hope this initiative will inspire others in our industry to adopt more responsible practices.
The countdown has begun. ARCO Madrid is just around the corner and from Galeria SENDA we are finishing all the details so that this year we can show you in our stand, 9B23, the latest creations of our beloved artists of the house.
For our thirty-first participation in ARCO, one of the most influential fairs on the international scene, we have invited those who are pillars of our identity and history as a gallery, as well as new young and emerging proposals.
This year we are very happy to show you part of Jordi Bernadó‘s new photographic project, “LAST & LOST“. This series of eight photographs, shown in a solo exhibition at Galeria SENDA and part of a larger project, question the ecological and philosophical challenges of the present, dealing with issues such as sustainability, the relationship between technology and nature, the horizons of our future or the role that democracy will play in the fight against new environmental threats. The photographs in “LAST & LOST” portray lost places, endangered ecosystems, areas rendered unfit for habitation due to pollution, and life forms struggling to survive in practically barren landscapes. The artist becomes, then, a witness and spectator of ecological catastrophes in an ambiguous state between existing and not being able to be; just surviving.
Jordi Bernadó. Old Tjikko, Mörkret, Sweden (S 6.2)cc (2022) UV printing on methacrylate, mounted on dibond., 180 x 240 cm
Another of the artists that backbone and shape the personality of our gallery is Jaume Plensa, the famed sculptor from Barcelona with an unparalleled international projection. For this edition of ARCO Madrid, Plensa presents his work based on contradictions: light and darkness, the trace of the past and the opening towards the future, natural contradictions and the creations of man’s hand, the immensity of noise and the most intimate spheres of silence.
Jaume Plensa. Who Are You? VI (2016) Bronze, 38 x 15 x 15 cm
In contrast, Anthony Goicolea shows us that art can mean brutality, capturing in his plastic works the different prisms and perspectives of social issues such as gender, culture or traditions. Goicolea pours into his artwork his personal and family history, marked by being born Cuban, being gay and practicing the Catholic religion in the south of the country in the early seventies. These factors forged his awareness of social constructions, such as regional traditions or rituals, and how these elements influence and define our identities. In this edition of ARCO, Goicolea will show works in graphite and on oil, where visitors will be able to find themselves in front of subjects that could well be taken from theatrical performances or novels.
Anthony Goicolea. The Magician’s (2023) Oil on canvas, 127 x 254 cm
Another artist invited to exhibit at our stand at ARCO Madrid is the Chilean Sandra Vásquez de la Horra. Through a multiplicity of techniques ranging from three-dimensional pieces, charcoal, watercolor and wax; Vásquez de la Horra traces bodies that she conceives as geographical entities. These bodies, now territories, are divided into two planes: the physical-terrestrial and the mystical. In the physical aspect, the artist narrates with her work the political charge of the people’s resistance against the Chilean dictatorship. On the other hand, in the mystical aspect, Vásquez de la Horra takes the concept of the seven planes or chakras to dialogue in unison between the universe and the Earth.
Sandra Vásquez de la Horra. Las Cholitas (2024) Graphite and watercolor on waxed paper, 106 x 77 cm
It is also characterized by the creation of unique and fantastic forms, Evru Zush. With a mix of techniques and disciplines, Zush presents his “Naga” series, made up of creatures that seem to come out of a science fiction movie.
Evru Zush. Serie Naga(2018) Graphite on paper, 24.7 x 9.7 cm
In addition, we will have the presence of the Valencian Elena del Rivero, an established artist who, from New York, continues to produce her artistic projects. Elena Del Rivero‘s work is divided into two lines: a historical one, exploring the collective pain of loss, and a personal one, focused on the construction of existential pillars.
Elena del Rivero. Flying Letter #24(2011-2014) Drawing, 73 x 54.6 x 21.5 cm
Stephan Balkenhol will also participate in ARCO Madrid with his wooden work “Man with pink tie“. Balkenhol has managed over the years to establish himself as an artist who perseveres to reintroduce figurative sculpture in the current contemporary scene. His polychrome works are characterized by the contrast between the splinters and shavings that Balkenhol leaves when he effusively carves the raw material of his creations, wood, and the polished areas of the same.
Stephen Balkenhol. Man with pink tie (2022) Carved wood, 120 x 95.5 x 11.7 cm
Another artist of monumental carvings that joins ARCO is Madrid-born Gonzalo Guzmán. The artist presents in this edition of ARCO his new sculptural project through which Guzmán has tried to explore the inner self using lucid dreams as tools of inspiration and self-knowledge to create works that challenge our belief system. This is why his sculptures represent the metallic structures that appear in his dreams and explore the possibility of reproducing the sublime of the subconscious in reality.
Gonzalo Guzmán. Menhir_06(2023) Stainless steel, 275 x 100 x 60 cm
Committed to seduce the eye with the works he creates in order to invite reflection, Gino Rubert represents experiences and emotions through a fusion of artistic disciplines. With a complex technique that mixes the collage of photographs and everyday materials with acrylic and oil, the artist represents the figure of the new woman and the new man, their functions, dysfunctions, conflicts and rhetoric.
Gino Rubert. La Barana (2024) Mixed/canvas, 55 x 46 cm
Yago Hortal maintains a close relationship between the artwork itself and the action painting itself. For Hortal, the canvas is part of a performance in which the artist consciously creates spontaneous color forms in an infinite range, expressing passion and vivacity. The paint seems to come out of the canvas, provoking the desire to want to touch it.
Another artist who stands out for his spectacular composition is Xavi Bou. With his well-known series “Ornitographies“, a chronophotography project that reveals the invisible patterns that birds trace in the sky when they fly, Bou creates a balance between art and science and, in turn, builds a series of works loaded with visual poetry that hypnotize viewers.
Xavi Bou. ORNITOPGRAPHY #275 (2018-2019) Digital print on Hahnemühle Fine Art Pearl 285 gr/m2, 140 x 200 cm
Peter Halley will be in our Artist Project space as an artist, with a solo show that connects his past stages with his most recent work. In this exhibition visitors will be able to analyze in detail the artist’s most emblematic piece: “Exploding Cell” (1983). The animation that represents this computer is directly inspired by the Cold War and its ravages.
This year we will also be able to enjoy the work of multidisciplinary artist Glenda León, both in our general program and as a guest in the special session entitled “La orilla, la marea, la corriente: un Caribe oceánico“, an exhibition space within ARCO with 23 guest artists that will be curated by Sara Hermann, chief curator of the Centro Cultural Eduardo León Jimenes (Dominican Republic), and Carla Acevedo-Yates, from the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.
Glenda León. Sueño concreto de Miró (2022) Concrete and acrylic, 20 x 20 x 7 cm
We look forward to seeing you in the corridors of ARCO enjoying the art that will be condensed these days in Madrid and that, of course, we can meet at stand 9B23 of the gallery. If you want to be surprised with a wide and rich gallery proposal in disciplines, you will always have a corner where you can escape from the overwhelming atmosphere that a fair as imposing as ARCO can cause. SENDA will always be a space, the path, where you can find yourself again.
In the framework of Jordi Bernadó‘s exhibition LAST & LOST, Galeria SENDA will host a dialogue between Hilde Teerlinck and Giulia Sonetti on Monday 11th March at 7 p.m. on some of the main reflections of the exhibition.
What are the philosophical and ecological challenges of the present? What role does art have in creating sustainable alternatives? What should or can the societies of the future look like?
LAST & LOST explores the notion of loss. Or, rather, the way we relate to a world we recognize less and less. The climate crisis, the crossroads of digitalization, democratic setbacks, etc., configure a paradigm rooted in uncertainty and fear. Also, inevitably, crossed by glimmers of hope. Bernadó approaches this double condition – uncertainty and hope – and captures it in a series of eight pieces, exhibited at Galeria SENDA.
Hilde Teerlinck and Giulia Sonetti will meet under the umbrella of these photographs to bring the reflections of LAST & LOST to new grounds and conclusions from their fields of knowledge.
Teerlinck is an art curator and director of the Han Nefkens Foundation. Her curatorial line has been characterized by a strong international accent. In 2022, she curated the Belgian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, with the artist Francis Alÿs. Previously, she has been the artistic director of the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona, the director of the Centre Rhénan d’Art Contemporain (CRAC Alsace) in Altkirch and the director of the FRAC (Fonds régional d’art contemporain) in Nord-Pas-de-Calais (Dunkerque). In 2015, she was one of the four curators of “Beaufort Outside the Borders”.
Giulia Sonetti, transdisciplinary researcher at University Polytechnic of Barcelona – and member of the Postdoc Academy for Transformational Leadership (Robert Bosch Stiftung Foundation, Berlin) will talk with her. She organizes science workshops across Europe, and designs and implements national, EU FP7 / H2020 research projects with inter/transdisciplinary approaches, university campus sustainability management strategies and transformative education methods. Currently, she is the director and principal investigator of the project “TrUST -Transdisciplinarity for Urban Sustainability Transition“.
ART MEETS APOLO is an exhibition program where different installations by local artists are presented in the spaces of Barcelona’s legendary concert hall. The site-specific project ART MEETS APOLO seeks to explore the intersection between club culture and contemporary art, generating a meeting point between an environment characterized by agitation and chaos, and another associated with stillness and observation.
The initiative of Sala Apolo has been conceived in collaboration with LAB 36, Galeria SENDA, and Screen Projects (LOOP Barcelona). This strategic alliance amplifies the scope and purpose of ART MEETS APOLO, fosters exchange between artists and audiences, and promotes the artistic diversity present in Barcelona’s cultural panorama and the dialogue between disciplines. The works are exhibited in the common spaces of the halls for months, allowing concertgoers and club attendees to enjoy this unique fusion of art and nightlife.
Artist Pedro Torres experiments with the concepts of time, distance, memory, and language. In his installation for Sala Apolo, he displays moving images and site-responsive elements inspired by scientific theories and approaches to the study of the brain. Thus, he finds his center in the nucleus accumbens, a set of neurons in the brain linked to sensations of pleasure, fear, aggression, and addiction.
The installation, distributed across three channels, uses devices based on persistence of vision to immerse the audience in a sensory and reflective experience. Through this work, Torres invites the audience to explore the depths of the human mind and to question the very nature of perception and reality.
Mónica Rikić develops an artistic practice centered on creative and electronic coding. She combines non-digital objects to create interactive projects, robotic installations, and handmade devices that transcend mere functionality.
In the context of Apolo, her creation «PSYCHOFLAGE» is composed of electronic modules reminiscent of a balloon endowed with an artificial intelligence system that shapes its behavior: inflating and deflating them and altering their internal luminosity. This playful approach transforms the Hall into a space of multicolored psychedelic fantasy.
The installation consists of 10 recycled aluminum bas-reliefs, surrounded by a tricolor stainless steel mesh and framed by a cord of LED lights. Through this proposal, the artist examines human attraction to the fruits of his technical labor and the fascination with the machines and materials that cover them, which he describes as “the skin of the machine”.
Fito Conesa is a multidisciplinary artist who works with visual and sound elements. For his creation for ART MEETS APOLO, he has chosen the bathrooms as the setting. There, one can listen repeatedly to «La Fito. Singing as a possible cure», three sound reinterpretations inspired by Paco España, Marifé de Triana, and Bambino.
The sound installation pays homage to the voices of “the rascally Barcelona” linked to transvestism. Most of them migrated from southern Spain to Barcelona to make a living and ended up working in the Music Halls on the margins of society. Thus, Fito Conesa rescues these silenced and ignored figures from the past who have contributed significantly to the formation of the city’s character.
«VERS(U)S» BY ADA MORALES AND CARLA PUIG
Ada Morales and Carla Puig are two young artists united under the nickname “A C” (I see), in relation to the resources of light and installation with which they work. Their works are based on light and for ART MEETS APOLO it has not been less. For this initiative they have created «Vers(u)s», two audiovisual installations where they explore atmospheric phenomena to create a dialogue between industry and nature. To do this, they highlight the value of light and its temperature, and give it volume with smoke.
This art installation is part of the initiatives with which La Roca Village celebrates its 25th anniversary through the global philanthropic program DO GOOD with The Bicester Collection. For 12 months, various activities will be carried out in support of the rights of women and girls, raising awareness and mobilizing funds for UNICEF Spain and its projects for the eradication of child marriage through education.
Jordi Bernadó in front of the portrait of Nada Al-Ahdal in La Roca Village
Is the face the mirror of the soul? Under this reflection, photographer Jordi Bernadó reinterprets the concept of portraiture with an exceptional installation at the Village, capturing the essence of the protagonists in a unique and challenging way. Each portrait shows the person with their back turned and in a setting that they themselves have chosen as “their place in the world“. This singular approach invites the viewer to reflect on their identity and the meaning of image in our society.
“I am very happy to collaborate with La Roca Village on this special occasion and that my ID Project exhibition can be seen at the Village with a montage that enhances the photographs and also challenges the viewer. This exhibition features people that I have found inspiring. What they all have in common is that, in some way, they have tried to change the world. And together with La Roca Village and the DO GOOD project we all want to contribute to bring about a change.”
Interactive action for visitors to the Village: We are all heroes
In the era of the selfie and self-expression, «ID Project – Through the mirror» challenges visitors to La Roca Village to actively participate in the exhibition. The action is based on a challenge where visitors can take a picture of themselves in front of Jordi Bernadó‘s chosen portrait, thanks to the installation’s set of mirrors. By doing so, this selfie will be part of a conversation that goes beyond the boulevards of the Village, joining the reflection on identity and authenticity of social networks.
This large-format installation decorating the streets of the Village represents a unique opportunity to explore the essence of prominent personalities and discover the reflection of our own identity. La Roca Village invites its visitors to be part of this living exhibition, to question their own perception, and to contribute to the well-being of those who need it most around the world.
On the occasion of the inauguration of Robert Mapplethorpe Hunted Obsession, “Soundtrack for Robert Mapplethorpe” will be performed, a musical session and performance by Javier Panera*. This event will discuss Robert Mapplethorpe’s relationship with some of the most important musicians of the 20th century, whom he portrayed on the covers of his albums. Panera will immerse us in the atmosphere of New York in the 60s and 70s through the commentary on these covers while its songs will serve as the soundtrack of the exhibition.
*Researcher in audiovisual culture and relationships between visual arts and pop music, professor at the University of Salamanca and former director of DA2 of Salamanca
