Gallery

La Roca Village and galeria SENDA present «ID Project – Through the mirror» by the photographer JORDI BERNADÓ

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On the occasion of the celebration of its 25th anniversary and framed in the philanthropic program DO GOOD of La Roca Village with The Bicester Collection, galeria SENDA and the luxury outlet present «ID Project – Through the mirror» by renowned photographer Jordi Bernadó.

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.

«ID Project – Through the mirror», which can be visited at La Roca Village until the end of the year, proposes an introspective journey where photography awakens the senses and consciousness, and where the protagonist is not the portrayed, but the observer. In an outdoor art installation, Jordi Bernadó presents a series of eight portraits of different personalities known for their humanitarian work, artistic careers or scientific contributions such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, writer; Gretchen Cara Daily, biologist; Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia; Nada Al-Ahdal, human rights activist; Pedro Opeka, missionary; Reed Brody, lawyer; Rosario Quispe, indigenous leader; and Stephen Hawking, scientist.

Photograph by artist Jordi Bernadó

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.”

Jordi Bernadó
Photograph of a bookstore displayed in a mirror showing two men walking by
Image of a mirror with an exposed photograph in the center
Image of a mirror with black phrases

Jordi Bernadó exhibition at La Roca Village

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.

Jordi Bernadó exhibition at La Roca Village

Special event “Soundtrack para Robert Mapplethorpe” por Javier Panera

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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
Patti Smith, Horses 1975 – All Mapplethorpe Images © Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation
Scissors Sisters, Night Work 2010 – All Mapplethorpe Images © Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation
Sountrack to Robert Mapplethorpe by Javier Panera

JAUME PLENSA beyond La Pedrera

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Currently, the work of Catalan sculptor Jaume Plensa can be seen in numerous venues around the world, including the exhibition at La Pedrera in Barcelona from March 31st through July 23rd, 2023. However, beyond this exhibition, Plensa‘s work is diverse and complex, and deserves an in-depth review. In this article, we want to explore his work beyond his current exhibition in Barcelona, and highlight his time in our gallery over the years.

From March 31st, at La Pedrera, you will be able to discover the most intimate and unknown Plensa in an exhibition that, for the first time, reveals the influence that literature, language and the alphabet have had on his work.

Image of a metal sculpture being lifted by crane to La Pedrera

Installation of Jaume Plensa’s work at La Pedrera

This exhibition is a unique opportunity to delve into the most particular work of this internationally renowned sculptor. With a career spanning from the late twentieth century to the present, Jaume Plensa has stood out for his work on the human figure, where he often fuses matter, words and music in a constant dialogue. This exhibition, curated by Javier Molins, will show some of the artist’s most representative pieces, as well as his evolution over the years.

Image of people photographing a metal sculpture picked up by a crane

Jaume Plensa during the installation of his work at La Pedrera

From Galeria SENDA, having exhibited the sculptor’s work on more than one occasion, we are thrilled that the city of Barcelona receives it in such an honorable way. It makes us especially excited to remember his passage through the gallery, which never goes unnoticed.

At the end of 2016, Jaume Plensa held his first exhibition at Galeria SENDA: «El Bosc Blanc», after 7 years without exhibiting in Barcelona, his hometown. Plensa presented a work that confronted what is shown with what is hidden, the past with the future, the natural construction with the creation by the hand of man, and the sound vibration with silence.

Gallery view, 2016

Gallery view, 2016

The exhibition consisted of various sculptures of young, female faces representing individuality within the social collectivity. The white pieces, “Lou“, “Duna” and “Isabella“, seemed to float on the floor and were complemented by graphite drawings on the wall. Plensa sought for the viewer to connect with the pieces and find their own path through the works placed in the space.

For more information, you can listen to this explanatory video of the artist:

At the end of 2020, he returned to present a new exhibition «La Llarga Nit» at Galeria SENDA, in which he praised the mysterious time of the night, capable of inspiring the soul of poets. The works in the exhibition presented sleeping and silent figures, with a lyrical and contemplative dimension. Plensa suggests that, by having to stop the machinery of doing, humanity is putting into function the machinery of thinking, generating new ways of living in the world. The exhibition included suspended sculptures, works on paper, among other works.

Photograph of an art gallery displaying a sculpture and a painting
Photograph of an art gallery where a bust sculpture is exhibited

Gallery view, 2020

Gallery view, 2020

In addition, beyond the exhibitions, Plensa accompanied us on two occasions last year. The first time he participated with Javier Molins in a talk that took place at the gallery on the occasion of the presentation of the book “Artists in the Nazi camps”. In this talk, Plensa and Molins shared their reflections on the work of artists who were victims of the Holocaust and its importance in the history of art. The second occasion was also in 2022, when he participated in another talk together with photographer Jean-Marie del Moral and journalist Màrius Carol during the presentation of the book «Interior, 2022» by By Publications. In this #SENDATalks, they shared their experiences and reflections on art and creativity in today’s world.

However, even further back in time, in 2017, German sculptor Stephan Balkenhol and Jaume Plensa met on the gallery’s mezzanine to talk about «Sculptures and Public Space» in a dialogue about their trajectory and their interest in promoting sculpture as a value for society and culture.

We are grateful to have been able to witness Plensa‘s unwavering commitment to contemporary art and the opportunity to present his work in a gallery in his own city.

Poesia del silenci, Jaume Plensa

If you are interested in learning about the available pieces by Jaume Plensa, do not hesitate to contact us by email senda@galeriasenda.com or at our SHOP online:

Jaume Plensa – ALCHIMISTES I
Jaume Plensa, Interior

ID Project: JORDI BERNADÓ’s new book

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Last Wednesday, La Central Llibreria de Barcelona was the setting for the presentation of the latest monograph by Jordi Bernadó, “Project ID”. The event, in collaboration with the Museu Nacional De Catalunya and galeria SENDA, with the participation of the journalist Sergio Vila San Juan.

Jordi Bernadó is a photographer with a cosmopolitan and curious vision, a tireless traveler who has left his mark on the world of photography contemporary. One of his latest works, ID Project , was exhibited at the MNAC during the summer of 2022, and has become in the central axis of a publication that explores the complete work of this artist.

What makes Bernadó’s work so interesting is his “relational” approach. Instead of simply capturing images of his subjects, Bernadó acts as an intermediary between the subject and the audience, asking the subject to choose the place where he wants to be photographed. The result is a stage inhabited by a single person, whose identity is not revealed in the image, but in the accompanying text, written by Laura Ferrero.

This approach creates a territory of social experimentation and offers an alternative to the uniformity of human behavior. Instead of simply observing the subjects, Bernadó involves them in the creative process and makes them full participants in the final result. It is an approach that seeks to establish a relationship of trust between the photographer and the subject, and that allows the final image to be a truer and more authentic representation of the person being photographed.

Alejandro Castellote, for his part, carries out an acute and multifaceted analysis of Bernadó’s career, exploring the different readings that can be made of his work and his artistic approach. The publication, co-published with the MNAC in Barcelona and in collaboration with the Senda gallery in Barcelona, is a work that not only explores the work of an artist, but also delves into the very nature of photography and its ability to connect with the world around us.

During the presentation, Bernadó explained this “relational” approach and how this technique allows him to involve his subjects in the creative process and create more authentic and true images. He also spoke of his love of travel and exploration, and how it has influenced his work. It was an opportunity to discover the work of a unique artist in the world of contemporary photography. “ID Project” is a monograph that not only explores Bernadó’s work, but also delves into the very nature of photography and its ability to connect us with the world around us.

Studio Visit, ELENA DEL RIVERO

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#SendaInTheCity

A peek into Elena del Rivero‘s studio in the heart of the East Village reveals walls adorned with her latest works of art and several unfinished pieces, each a testament to his artistic prowess.

Valencian artist Elena Del Rivero was kind enough to invite us into her studio in the heart of the East Village , share with us their latest work and pamper ourselves with a cup of tea. As we sat and drank, we talked about the latest art trends in New York, her life in the city, and her relationship with Spain. Each turn of the conversation shedding new light on the vicissitudes of her singular artistic career.

Elena’s visit was not only an opportunity for us to catch up on the latest happenings in the art world, but also to learn about her ongoing projects. Before leaving the studio, Del Rivero shared with us his latest project, “Home Address,” a tribute to the suffragette movement that was presented the next day at New York City Hall for International Women’s Day.

SANDRA VÁSQUEZ DE LA HORRA wins the Acquisition Award for the SOLO Collection at ARCOmadrid

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The Acquisition Award of the SOLO Collection at the ARCOmadrid 2023 has been awarded to the work ‘The liberation of the myth (2022)’ by the Chilean artist Sandra Vásquez de la Horra, her work has been exhibited at the Galería Senda stand (9B21). This piece will be included in the upcoming Espacio SOLO exhibition titled “Protection No Longer Assured“, which will take place from March 10 and will explore different notions of the sublime.

The award was given by Pablo Martínez, CEO of the SOLO Collection, and Óscar Hormigos, its Chief Creative Officer, as well as Maribel López.

From left to right: Maribel López, Pablo Martínez, Óscar Hormigos and Carlos Durán.

Congratulations to the artist! We also want to express our gratitude both to the SOLO Collection for its commitment and support for contemporary art, and to the #ARCOmadrid fair for offering such an important platform for the art world.

SANDRA VÁSQUEZ DE LA HORRA, The Liberation Of The Myth 2022

EVRU/ZUSH wins the 18th Electronic Art Arco-Beep Award

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The artist Evru/Zush has been awarded the 18th Electronic Art Arco-Beep prize for his work Opaulo (1990), a digital print on canvas exhibited at our stand (9B21 – galeria SENDA). This award, established in 2006, and carried out in collaboration with the ARCOMadrid Fair, has been set as the origin, the triggering element, from the .BEEP { Collection;}, a pioneering initiative in the dissemination of electronic and digital art in Spain.

The work of Evru / Zush is a clear example of his ability to create art that transcends the limits of what is conventional. From the gallery we express our pride and satisfaction at having exhibited the winning work and at having collaborated with an artist who is a “universal pioneer in a world that promotes interactivity and viewer participation”.

Visit by Natalia Garriga, Minister of Culture of the Generalitat, Edgar García, director of the ICEC, Marta Gusta, Director of the Area of Visual Arts at ICEC, Ester Capella, delegate of the Generalitat (Madrid).

We congratulate Zush / Evru on their well-deserved award and thank the Beep Collection and the Newart Foundation for their important work in promoting electronic and digital art .

Lab36 and Yurbban Trafalgar host BAAR residency’s art

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BERLIN FILES – UNAPOLOGETIC

15.02.2022 – 30.03.2023 

Barcelona

BERLIN FILES – UNAPOLOGETIC is a traveling art exhibition of the BAAR Art Journey and Residency program which took place in Berlin, Germany from October – November 2022.  Works will be exhibited in the city of Barcelona February 15 – March 30, 2023 and available for public viewing at the following venues: The Cover, Senda’s Lab36 Gallery collaborating with Yurbban Trafalgar. 

The works on view are inclusive of American artists who  resided at Stiftung Starke during their residency, and other visual artists who participated in the BAAR Art Journey and Residency program, in a hybrid manner from across Europe and Africa. Out of 180 applications from African Diaspora, LatinX, Asian, and German artists across the globe, BiTHOUSE GROUP, the creators of BAAR Art Journey and Residency selected seven residency (actual and hybrid)  participants and five BAAR+ Includes artists  (underrepresented and hidden treasures in hybrid format). Artists were asked to identify two works of art created both during and/or post pandemic and to create two works during a six to eight week time period.   

BAAR Art Journey and Residency was founded by Wilhelmina Jewell Sparks in order to  protect, foster, and amplify the talents of emerging and established underrepresented, African Diaspora and  LatinX artists who have traditionally had limited access to mainstream art markets, gallery representation, and / or integration into institutional collections. The program was created to  challenge traditional art market dynamics in order to increase creator equity, generational  wealth and redefine attitudes and mindsets pertaining to what is considered good art,  quality art and mainstream contemporary art. Studies show that psychological safety allows  for various degrees of risk – taking, creativity, and fearlessness, these elements have been  known to lead to market breakthroughs (Harvard Business Review) and this was the  motivation behind creating BAAR Art Journey and Residency.  

The curator of this exhibit, Jewell Sparks, challenges viewers to look beyond what is seen with the naked eye and imagine the transformative state that each artist experienced during their stay in Berlin, their transformation during the pandemic, and their exploration of self and heritage as they create unapologetically. Artists were challenged to ask themselves the following questions as they created works over a six to eight week time period: What would you create if you reflected the impacts of the pandemic and the exploration of your personal journey as a creative? How much does one’s environment impact their creativity? These questions were answered  and embedded into the canvases of the artists who are part of the traveling art exhibition which is currently being exhibited in Barcelona at: The Cover, Lab36, and Yurbban Trafalgar.

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BERLIN FILES includes works by BAAR Art Journey and Residency participants: A. Stoyke (Berlin), Adana Tillman (Atlanta), Alphonce Odhiambo (Nairobi), Carolina Romillo Marin (Berlin), Carl Hazlewood (Brooklyn), Cory Ford (New Jersey), Hamisi Mwangome (Berlin), Francisco “Totem” Perez (Berlin), Nanette Carter (New York), Rafaella Braga (Berlin). BAAR+ Includes artists: Alfred Mueller ( Pforzheim), Rebekka Macht (Berlin), Doriana Diaz (Philadelphia), Josephine Sagna (Bayonne), and Marina Rayzuki (Berlin). 

EVRU/ZUSH: Artist Project for artfair ARCO Madrid 2023

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FEB 22 — 26, 2023 Artfair: ARCO

IFEMA Madrid
Booth: 9B21

EvruZushAccess the artist dossier

After the recent inauguration of the monographic exhibition “Zush in Ibiza ”, at the Fundació Suñol in Barcelona, in collaboration with the Museu d’Art Contemporani d’Eivissa, Evru/Zush returns to exhibit part of his work conceived in Ibiza (1968-1983), a fundamental period for the artist, who experimented with very different formats and techniques never seen before. Precisely at that time, in 1968, the young artist Albert Porta decided to become Zush and carry out a creative self-healing strategy after he had passed through the phrenopathy hospital in Barcelona.

If we were to read in a prestigious medium in the art world that an artist has created a highly personal proposal that is absolutely coherent, ingenious, solid and bold in the metaverse, with avatars and codes, languages of the world video game or augmented reality, with stereoscopic images, colors and unreal worlds, providing a radically new scenario to the world of creation, we would launch ourselves to discover the proposal of this advanced Artist.

That is precisely what Zush already did, more than 40 years ago!

Booth view 9B21 (Artist Project) #1
Booth view 9B21 (Artist Project) #2

Evrugo Mental State, a world as real as our own, but existing in an uncertain place (which today we would probably translate as some sort of metaverse) with its own language, characters that inhabit it, currency, anthem and so many other characteristics typical of a real world, it was worked on and defined by him for years and presented in different contexts, we have seen it at MACBA, at the Reina Sofía, the São Paulo biennials or at Documenta, and even in the fantastic exhibition of the “Wizards of the Earth” at the Pompidou Center by Jean Huber Martin.

That real world, it has been and it is and that shows us how advanced in his time our honoree always was and is, who launched himself to investigate and create (through some devices, then called Personal Computers and that were unattainable except for a few professionals or researchers) and with them, through tools that would surprise us today, to continue creating their fascinating world. The WWW had not even been imagined then. Before our today.

Several words like Scanahrome or Infographics had to be invented. Works worked through digitalization and then in some cases printed on those rudimentary devices that today we would call plotters.

Zush is undoubtedly a universal pioneer in this world and that is why we want to pay tribute to his work.

“My thing is individual mythologies. I am someone who generates his own way of thinking, of seeing reality or of seeing the world. What interests me is being a bridge between sanity and madness”.

Evru/Zush

Renusa, 1989-1990

Acrylic painting on photography paper mounted on wood

200 × 100 × 5 cm

Thus, once again, the bells are once again the protagonists in space, this time accompanied by their famous nagas, Hindu deities with a human face and torso, generally of a woman, and the body of a snake. In this way, the desire to return to being Evru materializes, under the representation of snakes, beings that, like the artist himself, shed their skin in a natural process of renewal and growth.
This desire for transformation is a constant in his career, through turning points that allow him to reflect on concepts such as identity, otherness or the passage of time. Thus, the desire for death and rebirth is the declaration of intent of a transgressive and unclassifiable artist who denies himself and reaffirms himself more and more emphatically and immortal.

For more information contact: info@galeriasenda.com

Download the press release in spanish here:

NP-ARCO2023-Galeria-SENDADownload

A journey through the imaginary of JAUME PLENSA in the Macbeth opera

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With Jaume Plensa as artistic director, Verdi’s opera Macbeth premieres on February 16 at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona.

This was already announced by Richard Wagner when he coined the term “Gesamtkunstwerk”, referring to opera as a total work of art that integrates the six arts: painting, sculpture, music, poetry, dance and architecture.

The Wagnerian ideal seeks a fusion between all the participatory elements of opera, as Jaume Plensa, known for his multifaceted artistic vision, has done. The Catalan artist has taken on the challenge of directing the stage production of the opera Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona.

Verdi’s well-known opera premieres this February 16 under the direction of Josep Pons, with a powerful aesthetic and ritual presence of Jaume Plensa. Inspired by Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the artist confesses that “it is one of the most profound and interesting reflections on duality between body and soul, between abstraction and matter“.

Plensa affirms that “it is one of Shakespeare’s most mental plays, because we have all been Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and other characters in the play at one time or another“, which is addressed “to the deepest sense of the human being“. All in all, for Plensa, Macbeth represents a deeply introspective theatrical work that resonates with the universal human experience. He explains that each character in the play is a representation of diverse aspects of the human being, inviting the viewer to explore his or her own psyche through the operatic narrative.

“I wanted to make a completely mental opera, to see in each scene moments that are like us, we have all been characters in the piece at one time or another“. Through the costumes, with most costumes out of his time, working on the choreography with Antonio Ruiz and lighting with Urs Schönebaum, Jaume Plensa aims to bring the viewer a more spiritual vision of the work, capturing in the best possible way the journey through the imaginary characteristic of the sculptor. His goal is to take the viewer on a spiritual journey through the rich imaginary that characterizes his work as a sculptor.

Image of white, black, red and gold colored figurines
Image of white, black, red and silver colored figurines

Macbeth art direction mock-up

The opera has an exquisite cast formed by Luca Salsi, Željko Lučić, Erwin Schrott, Simón Orfila, Ekaterina Semenchuk, Alexandrina Pendatchanska, Gemma Coma-Alabert, Francesco Pio Galasso, Celso Albelo, Fabian Lara and David Lagares. With special enthusiasm, we will meet again with Sondra Radvanovsky, soprano who plays Lady Macbeth and of whom we remember her visit to ARCO Madrid 2021 on the occasion of the presentation of the poster of the Castell de Peralada Festival.

Photograph of four men and a woman smiling at the camera posing in front of a painting

From left to right, Oriol Aguilà, director of the Festival Castell de Peralada; Joan Matabosch, artistic director of the Teatro Real; Carlos Álvarez, baritone; Sondra Radvanovsky, soprano; and artist Jordi Bernadó, posing with one of his works exhibited at ARCO Madrid 2021.

Image of white, black and red figurines
Photograph of Jaume Plensa seated on a chair with a microphone in hand

Jaume Plensa selected works:

Jaume Plensa – Bartók
Jaume Plensa Tears
Jaume Plensa – SLUMBERLAND III