Once again this year, SENDA is pleased to announce that we will be back at By Invitation 2024, an exhibition of modern and contemporary art that, for the fifth consecutive year, will be held at the Círculo Ecuestre de Barcelona.
With the intention of fostering the dialogue between different artistic currents, By Invitation 2024 will feature invited galleries and selected projects, covering both the secondary market and the primary market of established and emerging artists from the national scene. The show will be mostly made up of galleries from Barcelona, although there will also be galleries from other parts of Spain, such as Madrid, Valencia and Gijon.
In this edition, SENDA has its own space to present its gallery proposal: the Japanese Room. The imposing room will host the works of a wide variety of artists, reflecting the versatility of the gallery. From the Chinese ink lithographs of Gao Xingjian, to the dreamlike sculptures of Gonzalo Guzman, the imposing acrylic paintings of Yago Hortal, the colorful wooden creations of Mina Hamada, the black and white photographs of Robert Mapplethorpe, or the mixed media compositions of the internationally renowned Jaume Plensa.
In particular, we would like to let you know that the hall will be an accomplice of a tribute to the famed painter Joan Miró on the occasion of his year of celebration. The piece presented will be a watercolor, “Aquarelle sur papier”, from the artist’s Japanese series. A perfect work to be exhibited in a room full of oriental influences.
If you do not want to miss the opportunity to be part of this exhibition, ask for your accreditation in the link below. See you from the 7th to the 10th of November at the Círculo Ecuestre de Barcelona.
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.
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.
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
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.
An essential artist on the contemporary scene, Anna Malagrida, has been working in photography and videography since the late 90s with impressive consistency. Malagrida addresses political issues with great poetic delicacy and subtly works the staging, the play of light and chiaroscuro, confusing photography and pictorial art in the same gesture.
Anna Malagrida expresses the personal representation of the city of Paris through her images: the globalized city, on its walls and facades, appears as a skin that bears the traces of the events and crises it is going through.
Exhibition from January 17th to March 5th, 2023 at La Filature, Mulhouse Tuesday to Sunday from 2pm to 6pm + show nights (La Filature will be closed to the public from February 12 to 26.)
For more information you can visit the La Filature website through this link:
Rockefeller Center transforms into a spectacular sculpture park to usher in Frieze Sculpture 2019, a monumental exhibition fusing art and architecture in the heart of New York. From April 25 through June 28, 2019, this iconic building will house a unique collection of twenty stunning works by internationally renowned artists, including Jaume Plensa, Goshka Macuga, Ibrahim Mahama, Joan Miró, Paulo Nazareth, Sarah Sze and Hank Willis Thomas, among others.
One of the highlights of the exhibition is Jaume Plensa‘s imposing sculpture “Behind the Walls“, a 7.5-meter-tall figure of a girl made of white resin, with her hands covering her eyes. Located at the entrance of the Channel Gardens on Fifth Avenue, this work invites viewers to reflect on self-imposed blindness and the need to face reality. For Plensa, the piece is a direct representation of how we sometimes close ourselves off from the world around us in order to feel more comfortable, and he hopes the work will function as a mirror for viewers, prompting them to examine their own lives and choices.
The curatorship of Frieze Sculpture 2019 by Brett Littman, director of the Garden Museum, has succeeded in creating an immersive art experience that attracts visitors from far and wide. Although initially hesitant to place Plensa‘s sculpture in this location, Littman recognized that it was the perfect place for this provocative work, capable of arousing curiosity and introspection in those who view it. In addition to “Behind the Walls“, works by other prominent international artists adorn the surroundings of Rockefeller Center and the various lobbies of the surrounding buildings, creating a cityscape full of art and meaning. This has been thanks to the partnership of Frieze New York and the real estate company Tishman Speyer, which will open the doors of these emblematic spaces to fill them with the monumentality of the twenty pieces on display.
«It’s almost the way I feel every morning», Littman said. «You put your hands over your eyes and think: “I can’t believe we have to deal with another day like this”».
For his part, Jaume Plensa confesses that it is a very direct piece. «On many occasions, we are blinding ourselves with our hands to feel in a more comfortable position». On a personal level, the artist hopes that the work can function to the viewer as a mirror in which «you can look inside yourself and think about your options, your aptitudes, what you are doing in your life». (Quinn, 2019)
From the grandeur of Ibrahim Mahama’s works to the delicacy of Joan Miró’s creations, each piece on display offers a unique perspective on themes ranging from the personal to the political, the spiritual and the social. It is a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of contemporary art and explore the diverse ways in which artists interpret and respond to the world around them.
Frieze Sculpture 2019 at Rockefeller Center is much more than just an exhibition; it is a testament to the power of art to inspire, provoke and transform, and a celebration of the pivotal role it plays in our society. Through June 28, visitors have the opportunity to be part of this unique experience that fuses aesthetic beauty with deep reflection, in the heart of the Big Apple.
