ID Project: JORDI BERNADÓ’s new book

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.

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

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: