Dels 67 projectes presentats en aquesta categoria, el jurat, ha decidit atorgar el premi al projecte Cada so és una forma del temps II 

Cada so és una forma del temps II són una sèrie de partitures visuals que l’artista guanyadora pretén recrear mitjançant la serigrafia. Pren les formes de les branques dels arbres, les venes del cos, els rius, els terratrèmols, el desplaçament de formigues, abelles, dofins, huracans, el contorn de núvols, de muntanyes i del món per superposar a pentagrames, fent evident la seva similitud formal, i al seu torn proposant una mirada més atenta, amb tots el nostre sentits alertes, per poder escoltar-los. Al veure totes aquestes formes juntes se’ns fa obvi que darrere d’elles hi ha una energia única, universal. El missatge d’escoltar la natura que vol plasmar en el seu treball des d’un inici sembla urgent en aquests temps. aquesta és una obra que si vol és una crida a apropar-nos més a allò del que venim i que la civilització ha fet que oblidem.

Per a més informació: https://miromallorca.com/es/estos-son-los-ganadores-de-los-premios-y-becas-pilar-juncosa-y-sothebys-2021/

El mejor ejemplo de racionalismo en Catalunya y una de las obras maestras de Antonio Bonet Castellana. Esto es la Casa Gomis para aficionados y profesionales de la arquitectura aquí y allende de los mares. Y una experiencia sensorial a la par que un motivo de inspiración para Bea Sarrias y Morrosko Vila-San-Juan. Los dos artistas afirman estar fascinados por la singular construcción; tan rendidos a ella, que la primera suma ya casi 40 de óleos sobre la casa y el segundo, dos cortometrajes. Parte de esta producción la estrena ahora la galería Senda (del 15 de septiembre al 9 de octubre) en un espacio que también es novedad, el Lab36 (Trafalgar, 36), la sala que la galería quiere dedicar única y exclusivamente a la creación que nace en Barcelona y el entorno metropolitano.

Los trabajos actuales de Sarrias y Vila-San-Juan cumplen con el condicionante por partida doble ya que además de producción autóctona tienen argumento local. No en vano la Casa Gomis luce La Ricarda por sobrenombre y a estas alturas de la fiesta, con el culebrón de la por ahora fallida ampliación del aeropuerto del Prat en el candelero,  poca presentación necesita. Así La Ricarda es laguna y espacio natural único y diverso, a la par que protegido por la UE, y es, también, el sueño personal del ingeniero y mecenas Ricardo Gomis y su esposa Inés Bertrand de construir una casa de veraneo según los postulados de la  arquitectura moderna. 

De Joan Miró a John Cage

Bonet Castellana no fue la primera opción de Gomis; ni la actual casa, el primer diseño presentado por el arquitecto. Gomis, persona cultivada y vinculada a los movimientos de vanguardia, quiso contactar con el arquitecto Josep Lluís Sert. Lo hizo a través del promotor cultural Joan Prats, que, como Gomis, era miembro del Club 49, asociación privada que tenía como objetivo promocionar las actividades artísticas en los grises tiempos de la dictadura. A saber que una vez levantada, la Casa Gomis funcionó como una suerte de nodo cultural, lo mismo se hacían conciertos -Gomis era un melómano de pro- que representaciones teatrales. Así, por los suelos de piedra caliza, gres y gresite de la joya del racionalismo catalán han dejado su huella Mestres Quadreny, Joan Brossa, Antoni Tàpies, Joan Miró y John Cage, entre otros. Y en su piscina se han bañado los miembros de la compañía de Merce Cunningham tras su primera actuación en España, por poner un ejemplo. 

Pero en 1949 Sert estaba en el exilio sin ganas de trabajar en España de manera que declinó la oferta. Fue entonces cuando Prats sugirió el nombre de Bonet Castellana, un joven que había trabajado con el mismísimo Le Corbusier y había sido el benjamín del Gatcpac. Bonet Castellana también estaba en el exilio, en Argentina, pero aceptó. La primera propuesta, recuerdan los hijos de Gomis, “era mucho más pomposa, con dos plantas, rampas y el techo al revés” y fue rechazada por la matriarca. La segunda prosperó y el resultado es una acogedora y luminosa construcción en medio de un pinar, perfectamente integrada con su entorno, donde interior y exterior se confunden, y donde todo está cuidadosamente escogido, pensado y diseñado. 

Una obra integral

Una obra integral nacida de la “complicidad estrechísima entre arquitecto y comitente”, puntualiza Marita Gomis, una de las descendientes del matrimonio impulsor. Integral porque Bonet Castellana no solo diseñó la casa con sus cierres acristalados -espectacular el pasillo que une el amplísimo salón con el llamado pabellón independiente -, sus celosías de cerámica y sus inconfundibles techos abovedados, sino que también se encargó de pensar en el mobiliario, las alfombras y las cortinas. Todo, colores y texturas, está perfecta y detalladamente pensado y listado. Y documentado. La familia Gomis Bertrand guarda la inmensa correspondencia que generó la construcción, pues se levantó con Bonet Castellana en la distancia. Cartas y fotografías. De Joaquim Gomis, hermano de Ricardo, son las imágenes que se mandaban al arquitecto para seguir la evolución de la casa. Y de Moisés Villèlia, las esculturas que pueblan el jardín. Algunas desaparecidas a golpe de mar, cada vez más cercano.  

Los hijos Gomis recuerdan cuando la finca daba a un arenal de 100 metros de anchura que ya no existe. También, de cuando circulaban con bicicletas por las pistas del aeródromo del Prat. El desvío del delta del Llobregat y las sucesivas ampliaciones del puerto han acabado con la playa; y el aeropuerto, con la vida en la casa. La cabecera de la tercera pista está a apenas 400 metros de la edificación, de manera que el ruido de los aviones calentando motores para despegar es ensordecedor. De haber prosperado los planes de Aena, la pista aún se hubiera acercado más. Aunque el estruendo actual ya les ha obligado a no pernoctar en La Ricarda, pero no a abandonarla: siguen celebrando reuniones familiares y cuidándola. “Sin ayudas”, puntualizan. Pero es patrimonio -tiene la máxima protección de la Generalitat- y no piensan dejar que se pierda. La financiación sale de las visitas guiadas y del alquiler del espacio para publicidad. 

Por todo esto, “por la singularidad del espacio y por la heroicidad de sus propietarios, queríamos hacer un homenaje a la casa y darla a  conocer”, apuntan Sarrias y Vila-San-Juan. Su salto precipitado a la fama ha sido cosa de la providencia.

El espacio de experimentación creativa Lab 36 de la Galeria Senda, en Barcelona, propone una exposición pictórica y audiovisual como “experiencia inmersiva y una visita guiada” por la casa de La Ricarda, ubicada en el Prat de Llobregat (Barcelona), y por los alrededores del espacio natural.

‘Bienvenidos a La Ricarda’ es una iniciativa de la artista audiovisual Bea Sarrias y del realizador y periodista Morrosko Vila-San-Juan que se podrá ver desde el 15 de setiembre y hasta el 9 de octubre, ha informado el LAB 36 en un comunicado.

En la muestra, pintura y audiovisual se unen y complementan para ofrecer una retrato completo de un lugar “especial y único, que además de ser una joya arquitectónica apreciada en todo el mundo es también la historia de una familia, de una forma de entender la vida y la cultura”.

El dúo artístico propone esta exposición el mismo año que La Ricarda ha sido designada como Bien Nacional de Interés Cultural y que, al mismo tiempo, “ve su futuro seriamente comprometido” por la posible ampliación del Aeropuerto de Barcelona-El Prat.

Ante este escenario, a ambos artistas les “parecía el momento ideal para reivindicar, rendir homenaje y celebrar la existencia de La Ricarda” con cuadros de colores vivos y alegres y audiovisuales que muestran la riqueza de ese entorno natural

 https://www.europapress.es/catalunya/noticia-muestra-pictorica-audiovisual-propone-experiencia-inmersiva-masia-ricarda-20210912145647.html

Jordi Bernardó, in collaboration with gallery SENDA, presents a new exhibition in Casinet Space.

Catalan photographer Jordi Bernadó always gets an amazing view of reality, either because he captures moments and scenes that reveal the contradictions of a whole society or because it demonstrates a poetic look capable of finding a great capacity for emotional evoke,
transforming corners from around the world into scenes of a dream.
With his work, he is present in galleries, exhibition spaces, institutions
and fairs from many countries.

From September 17 until 17 October

Check it more: http://www.elmasnou.cat/media/repository/cultura/cicle_arts_visuals/2021/Arts_Visuals_Programacio_2021_2.pdf

A couple of art critics visit the Senda gallery during the hours before the opening of Yago Hortal’s exhibition “Otra vez”. With their conversation around the room sheet and the artist’s work, the two critics, without proposing it, represent a small parody of the relationship between culture and the market, focusing on empty and pretentious language often used in art galleries, cultural institutions and art criticism in explaining to the public an artist’s work. These texts (which, thankfully, hardly anyone reads) are perverse in that they most often hinder rather than the contrary the relationship of the public with quality works, while they evaluate and mask insignificant or trivial works.

This performance is an adaptation of a fragment of his show The World of Art produced by the Romea Foundation.

Gino Rubert (Mexico City, 1969)

He studied Fine Arts at the Parsons School of Design in New York. His work has been shown in galleries and museums such as the Akiyoshidai International Art Village (Japan), the K).nstlerhaus Bethanien (Germany), the Contemporary Culture Centre in Barcelona, the Claire Oliver Gallery (New York), the Michael Haas Gallery (Berlin), the Mizuma Gallery (Toquio). In writing two books: Apio (canina notes) Errata Naturae. 2011 y S. Quiéro, Lunwerg. 2019. In 2021, he premiered his show The World of Art (A Tragicomedia) at the Romea theatre.

Lab 36 Art Gallery és un espai polivalent i multifuncional  que desenvolupa una sèrie de projectes artístics a través de la galeria Senda, així com d’altres aliens a ella. Es tracta d’un espai de creació experimental que també serveix per a promoure artistes locals i de fora del país que tinguin relació o que treballin a Barcelona. Actualment ofereix una visió totalment nova que “atengui les necessitats del temps present”.

Anteriorment aquest centre artístic es denominava Espai 292, però des de fa cinc anys que porta el nom actual. Està situat al costat mateix de la galeria Senda, encara que des d’aquest any té vida pròpia ja que funciona de manera independent, va més enllà de les seves propostes creatives i mostra un “programa versàtil i sensible a l’efervescència de les dinàmiques actuals”.

Ara a Lab 36 es presenta la col·lectiva Dispositius de resistència, on s’exhibeixen els treballs de 10 artistes procedents de la darrera promoció del Màster de Producció i Recerca Artística, dins de l’apartat Art i Contextos Intermèdia (2020-2021), de la Facultat de Belles Arts de la Universitat de Barcelona.

Els artistes participants són Donny Ahumada, Salua Arconada, Adrià Gamero Casellas, Oscar Gartín, Felipe García Salazar, Andria Nicolaou, Romina Pezzia, Sergio Quiroga, Gabriel Tondreau i Ying Ye. El títol de l’exposició fa referència al fet adequar-se a unes condicions adverses, així com al de crear una sèrie de peces en un determinat període de temps que darrerament ha provocat moments d’incertesa i preocupació. Cal valorar la diversitat de les seves propostes, principalment pels seus “processos d’exploració de la nostra quotidianitat i entorn amb una mirada crítica del món”.

Interview by Luís Campo Vidal for “The Chic Icon”. Dubai, December 30th, 2020.

CÍRCULO ECUESTRE, one of the most traditional private clubs of greatest reputation in Europe, and a key institution in the professional and private life of the most prominent and influential personalities of Barcelona’s society, has transformed its impressive palace in the center of the city into a temporary museum for a week. “By Invitation”, a contemporary art fair, has been an imaginative and forceful response to a difficult year for everyone, including the arts’ area. 

It is not an easy task to bring together 17 Barcelona’s art galleries and collude them to co-create this temporary museum, enriched with a cycle of colloquiums in which collectors, art consultants, journalists and gallery owners share their opinions. The organizers of this first contemporary art fair in Barcelona deserve to be congratulated for their outstanding initiative. 

One of the exhibiting galleries was SENDA, who defines itself as a microscopic gallery. SENDA found a way, in the midst of the pandemic, to form an alliance with the PUSHKIN STATE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS in Moscow and produce together an online art project entitled TEDIUM. 

We have the privilege of interviewing Carlos Durán, the owner and founder of SENDA since 1991. 

It is known that sales in on-site galleries fell by 36% during the first half of 2020, whereas online sales have grown by 37% during the same period. Are we moving towards a future of “Instagram Galleries”?

Not quite. The lockdown meant a drop in on-site sales and we all focused on boosting our activity in online networks and other platforms aiming to access other audiences. It was then confirmed that these tools were extremely useful. But we also confirmed that they were never going to replace physical space of a gallery. Absolutely. When the degree of confinement was relaxed, we realized that what people really wanted was to interact with art in person. That said, we have learned that the online world is an essential and wonderful sales channel, and we are going to dedicate a higher energy to it than what we were dedicating before. 

According to the American consulting firm Cerulli Associates, Generation X, those born between 1965 and 1980 will inherit from their parents and grandparents $ 68 billion in the next ten years, including an important proportion of pieces of art. Do you think that the new generations, educated in the Internet era, will also inherit the family culture and will continue to enjoy and invest in art?

I am optimistic in this regard, it makes sense. For two reasons: first, because they are more educated and cultivated people. They have traveled more than previous generations. And second, because art has become, more than ever, a guaranteed asset and an element of enjoyment. Never before has there been a greater audience and interest in art. 

Spanish artists represent around 1% of world art sales. Do you think they do not know how to sell internationally? 

Spain is a permanently creative country. For the last four centuries, Spain has gifted the world with a gigantic cast of great creators. It is true that at this moment we are perhaps going through the worst historical moment of promoting our own art, which means that Spain is a country that has created, that has great creators, but currently does not know how to take advantage of all this. 

Representing 1% of global sales is a gigantic imbalance, indicating that there is a lot of rough diamonds to be discovered. 

How did Carlos Durán manage to ally with the PUSHKIN STATE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS in Moscow? 

A previous collaborative relationship in a seminar we did in Moscow paved the way. At the very beginning of the confinement, we started a project on Instagram, a campaign entitled Wellcome Home, a window where artists from all over the world have been explaining and sharing their experiences during the lockdown period. We kept the dialogue alive regarding the concerns that we all had at that time, and to demonstrate that those same concerns were found in any corner of the world, whether we were creators, audience, artists, collectors or simply followers of the art world. Concerns were identical everywhere. This participatory project was observed by the PUSHKIN MUSEUM and they invited us to jointly develop a project on the Museum’s online platforms. This also answers the previous question: If there is marketing and knowledge, there is international interest. 

European banks no longer show interest in their customers’ cash on hand. Interest on deposits has been reduced to 0% and banks begin to charge commissions for guarding immobile money. Do you think it is a good opportunity for savers to be interested in investing in art as a refuge for capital? 

Art experiences a process of transparency where the market has become something much more solid. The group of artists, known as the BlueChips, are considered safe assets for investment. Consequently, the saver, the art lover, and the great collector, who are speculators looking for profits in assets, are getting into the game in addition to the knowledgeable buyer.

Historically, it has been proven, even during the different world wars and economic crises, that art is a good place to secure capital. And now more than ever, because market transparency is clearly higher than at any other time in history. 

Some gallery owners consider that putting a price on art works is a delicate and even poisoned matter, and they are reluctant to make it public. Does Carlos Durán think it is a good business strategy?

It is true that not showing the price publicly gives you a conversation starter with a potential interested party. But on the contrary, it also sends a message of little confidence from which I try to fly away. Personally, I think that transparency gives confidence. So, we clearly bet on removing the reservations to keep the prices hidden. 

How would you rate the investment in art? Savings, investment, speculation, refuge, or enjoyment...

I don’t think these concepts are exclusive. The main objective should be enjoyment, without a doubt. From a certain amount of money, it should be considered an investment, which to some extent is a saving system. In certain conditions, saving is a form of protection. Speculation, also partly generated by the market, is something we always try to avoid. Anyone who enters the art world for speculative reasons somehow perverts the reality of the market. Thus, personally it is the least interesting of all the profiles.

If you had, right now, $ 1 million to invest in art, what would you buy? 

I would buy what I really like. I would look for artists with already developed careers and divide the investment into parts. 

The first would be a guaranteed investment: minor works, but very characteristic, by great authors. An example could be a drawing by Picasso, because $ 1 million is not enough to buy any Picasso canvas. It should be a drawing that contains all the painter’s features. Perhaps it would cost around € 200,000.

Then I would look for artists who are in the middle of their careers, with international projection, and who have already shown their contribution to the art history of their generation. Artists who generally have a very positive quality / price ratio and are about to upgrade. 

I would personally reserve a smaller percentage for emerging creators, but I would run away from the speculative young artist. When young artists who are starting seem to stand out it is when the market tends to be perverted, almost always.

By Cecilia Durán

“The loneliness produced by the isolation during the lockdown in spring 2020 caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, inspired me to scrutinize outer life through my window. This window is right above my computer in my Poblenou studio in Barcelona and I call it «my TV». Through this window, incessantly and for more than 10 years, I have seen trains and more trains passing by, most of them with the typical ‘Renfe-Cercanías’ aesthetic» – Miralda

When the world seemed to come to a halt, moving in slow-mo, nonchalantly, in what felt like an eternity inside four walls, the artist Miralda demonstrated otherwise. You see, nothing ever fully stops, it just becomes secondary, it changes, it wears out like the limbs of the millions of people who forgot that we are beings of mobility, of hectic footsteps and rushed thoughts. The world didn’t stop, we did. Being forced to stay inside, scared of an invisible enemy that stalked our every move, we were left with a bittersweet feeling of the world we used to know, of routine, crowds and dirty hands. The Spanish artist Miralda created Quarantinetrains III: Rodalies from the window of his Poblenou Studio, to demonstrate that trains, allegorically representing life, don’t stop, regardless of the circumstances. 

Ironically, as trains became vacant of people, they grew enveloped with graffiti, which became the motif for the series Miralda presents, in collaboration with Galeria Senda, in the 2020 LOOP Fair. With this project, Miralda looks at the urban spaces transformed through silent and hidden collective cultural practices, such as the creation of graffiti. It is an artwork deeply connected to the artistic inclinations of Miralda around urban popular culture, typical of previous projects and videos. And yet, this piece surprises us for its aesthetic and narrative register, which manifests a deep desire for fresh and novel abstraction. 

In the quarantine, Miralda made boredom a source of inspiration and of it came this video trilogy of kaleidoscopic figures born from the relationship between benign vandalism and straight-line mobility. The first video of the trilogy premiered in May 2020, featured by the 100 ways to live a minute platform of the Pushkin State Museum of Art of Moscow. Odd circumstances call for odd solutions, and in the case of the 2020 LOOP fair, good solutions. This year LOOP will maintain its physical mode with the “Loop salon” in the Museu d’Història de Catalunya (17-19 November), and will have the option of watching online (17-26).

Watch the video Quarantinetrains III: Rodalies by Miralda here